Safety Tips for Foreigners

1. Carry your wallet in an inside jacket pocket or side trouser pocket, never in the rear pocket
2. Carry credit cards and minimal cash in your pockets
3. Leave valuables and important papers, such as jewellery and passports, secured in your hotel's safe deposit box. Never leave these items unattended in your room or carry large sums of cash on your own.
4. Be wary of unexpected persons coming to your hotel room. Never open the door to unsolicited room service or maintenance people. Contact the front desk if you have any doubts.
5. If you schedule a meeting with a potential client, research the company and the individual with whom you are meeting. Meet in a public place such as a restaurant.
6. Make sure that luggage only given to a member of the hotel's bell staff and a receipt is issued for stored luggage. Never leave luggage or other expensive items, unattended at Airport or Taxi Stands.
7. Kindly contact on counter "May I help you" available in "Arrival Hall" at airport for help and guidance.
8. Prefer Prepaid Taxi Booth for hired transportation. In this system you have to pay in advance for Taxi Fare which is already approved by Department of Transport, Govt. of West Bengal for each destination in Kolkata, Bidhannagar, Barrackpore, North 24Parganas.
9. Adequate number of police officers are deputed in proper uniform outside the Arrival Hall and Parking area. You can contact nearest police officer to intimate about undesirable elements and touts in your observation. However, Bidhannagar Police is taking utmost care, vigilance and surveillance over these elements, still it is felt that we can eliminate these elements more effectively for which tourists active participation in the drive is desired.
10. In addition to above, police officers in plain clothes are also deputed to keep watch on suspicious movements. Therefore, you should never entertain the touts and avoid unscrupulous persons to avoid harassment.
11. Preplan your destination in Bidhannagar regarding your stay and tourism in Bidhannagar. Never take advice of unknown persons regarding your stay / tourism in Bidhannagar. Please follow the information given by Police Officers at the "May I help you" counter, or any other Govt. recognised information Centres like West Bengal State Tourism Development Corporation. If you face any harassment or law and order problem in Bidhannagar, you can dial :
12. Number from the nearest telephone for police assistance.
13. Take proper care of their travel documents during their stay in india.
14. The foreigners may be advised to adhere to visa guidelines.
15. If for some unavoidable reasons, a foreign citizen requires an extension for his stay in India, he should apply for the same, at least 2 months prior to the expiry of the valid period of his stay in India, to the Office of the Foreigner's Registration Officer i.e. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Branch).
16. No person may enter Indian borders without a proper passport and valid Indian Visa.
17. After landing at Indian shores, every foreigner should register himself with the concerned Foreigner's Registration Officer within a period of 15 days. However, a foreign citizen visiting India on a tourist visa and intending to stay in India for a period of 180 days or less, does not need to get registered.

For Motor Cycle Riders

1. Don’t be a hell mate, use Helmet
2. Avoid triple riding, two-wheelers for two only.
3. Avoid cell phone while driving.
4. Avoid High Speeds.
5. Drive to care not to dare.
6. Obey traffic signals.
7. Keep the papers of the vehicle with you.

For Hotels/Guest houses

1. Insist on identification documents and contact number before booking a room for the guest.
2. Install CCTV cameras and report about suspicious guest to the police.
3. Keep all the fire fighting equipments/arrangements which are very much essential from the fire safety point of view.
4. Deploy adequate no. of private security guard.

For Landlords, Property Dealers, Car Dealer or Guest House Owners

1. Do not let your premises without satisfying yourself about the antecedents of the tenant.
2. Insist on identification documents before booking a room for the guest. Install CCTV

For Pedestrians

1. Use supervised or controlled crossing points such as pedestrian crossings and traffic lights, wherever possible
2. At pedestrian crossings, wait until all traffic has stopped before crossing the road. It’s a good idea to make eye contact with the car drivers before you step off the pavement
3. If there is no formal crossing point, make sure you cross away from buses, parked cars and corners so that motorists can easily see you
4. Keep one step back from the kerb before you cross
5. Look and listen for traffic in all directions. If there is traffic coming, wait until it has passed. Look and listen for
traffic again. When there is no traffic coming walk quickly straight across the road, looking each way for traffic.
6. Always alert accident avert.
7. Be alert while responding to queries by covering the wind screen. The person may be a snatcher & may have targeted your cell phone / purse.
8. Be alert when you are crossing the road with kids. Kids can run removing your and along road while traffic light is on.

For Principal/Head of the educational Institutions

1. Adequate number of security guards in the school.
2. Each student and staff member must wear an identity card (giving his name, parent/guardian’s name, address, class, phone no. and blood group and other details).
3. Each student must be told to memorise the phone no. of his parents/guardians.
4. There should be a public address system in each school.
5. There should be proper fire fighting measures like extinguishers, smoke alarms etc with standing instructions and training to staff/students as to their operation.
6. CCTV with recording facility at the entrance / parking area.
7. Report eve-teasing / harassment and drug abuse to nearest PS / Police Control room by dialling 100.
8. To educate the students about traffic rules.

For Rickshaw Pullers, Auto, Bus, Car and Taxi drivers

1. Check your vehicle before you take it on road like air in tyre, break oil, gear oil etc.
2. Obey traffic signal and control you speed at all the road-crossing, bus-stop area, schools and hospital area.
3. Check thoroughly your taxi/auto/rickshaw/bus etc, including undercarriage and ensure that the passenger do not leave any bag or article.
4. Remain alert and vigilant about surroundings especially where your vehicle or rickshaw is parked.
5. Maintain your vehicle and keep it properly tuned to ensure safety and reduce pollution.

For Telephone Booths/Cyber Cafes

1. Erect firewalls and take technical measures to ensure cyber safety.
2. Order issued by Commissioner of Police, Howrah should be strictly followed.

For Vendors

1. Be watchful and report any suspicious activity around you.
2. Make sure no customer leaves his belongings behind.
3. Keep an eye on suspicious looking customers

For Web Browsers

1. General Safety Tips
2. We all know that the Internet is a cool place to hang with friends and check out new things. But don’t forget about the Internet’s risks and dangers. If you’re going to use the Web, do it safely! Here are some suggestions on what you should and shouldn’t be doing online to help protect you against the bad stuff. Be careful online.
3. Never reveal personally – identifiable information online. A lot of crooks use the Internet to take advantage of other people, especially kids and teens. Never reveal any personally-identifiable information online, whether it’s on your profile page or in a blog, chatroom, instant messenger chat or email.
4. Always use a screen name instead of your real name.
5. Never give out your address, telephone number, hangout spots or links to other websites or pages where this information is available.
6. Be careful about sending pictures to people you do not know very well.
7. Never tell people personal or private information about your friends or family.
8. Never assume you’re completely anonymous online. Even if you don’t put personal information online, there are different ways that people can still figure out who you are and where you live.
Never share your password with other people Your passwords to websites, email accounts and instant messenger services should not be shared with friends or strangers. Your friends may not be as safe as you are and may unknowingly subject you to danger.
9. Never arrange meetings with strangers. Just because you’ve seen a person’s picture and read his or her profile, does not mean you know them. Many people online lie about who they are and what their intentions are. Just because someone seems nice online, does not mean they really are. They could be trying to hurt you. Never arrange a meeting with a stranger you’ve met online. Even meeting a stranger in a crowded place could be dangerous as he could follow you home. If you wish to meet an online friend in person, talk to your parents and arrange a time and place where your friend can meet your parents first, just in case. If you are worried about your parents meeting one of your online friends, you probably shouldn’t be friends with them in the first place.
10. Don’t believe everything you read or see online. Be wary of everything you see online unless it is from a trusted source. People lie about their age, who they are, what they look like, where they live, how they know you and what their interests are. Also, a lot of websites and emails contain information that is misleading or just plain untrue. If a person or deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Ask your parents to help you figure out what information is really true.
11. Don’t download files or software without your parents’ permission. There are a lot of files on the Internet that are unsafe to download to a computer. Some files will bombard you with pop-up ads all day long. Some files will actually track everything you and your family does on your computer, including your logins, passwords and credit card information, which criminals then use to steal money from you and do other harm. There is no easy way to tell which files are bad and which are ok to download. That free desktop wallpaper you want to download might also steal your parents’ credit card information. Ask your parents before you download any files or software from the Internet.
12. Don’t respond to inappropriate messages or emails. Some people send inappropriate messages just to see if you will respond. If you do, you are simply encouraging them to send more inappropriate material to you. Don’t respond to inappropriate messages. Instead, talk to your parents about how to report them to the right place.
13. Don’t post inappropriate content.
If you post information about tennis, you will attract people who are interested in tennis. If you post inappropriate content or pictures, you will attract people who have inappropriate interests. If you post jokes, photos or other content that contain sexual references you will probably attract people who are only interested in talking about sex. Be mindful of what you are communicating to the rest of the online world through the content you put onto the Internet.
14. Be leery of personal questions from strangers.
People you don’t know who ask personal questions are often up to no good. Don’t continue communicating with strangers who ask you personal questions. Talk to your parents about how to block them from communicating with you and report them to the right place.
15. Don’t be bullied into fights. People tend to say things online that they would never say in person. Some people even say rude and malicious things, sometimes just to see if you will respond. Don’t respond to these people. Instead, talk to your parents about how to block them from communicating with you and report them to the right place.
16. Don’t use adult sites. There are some websites that kids just should not use. Don’t use websites that contain adult content or that facilitate communication with older adults. No matter how much you think you know about the Internet, there are some people and places you just aren’t ready to deal with. Enjoy websites that are designed for people your own age.
17. Understand what you put online will be there forever. Assume that everything you put online—- every email you write, every picture you post, every blog or journal entry you post—- will be accessible on the Internet forever. Many search engines copy Internet pages and save them for viewing even after the pages are no longer online. Think about that before you post anything online. Do you really want pictures or blog entries to be seen 10 years from now?

Road Safety Tips

Drivers

1. Check your vehicle before taking it out on road.
2. Don’t use your mobile phone whilst driving
3. Belt up in the back
4. Don’t drink and drive.
5. Always adhere to speed limits
6. Steer clear of erratic drivers. Let a tailgater pass you.
7. Keep your eyes on the road. Talking on a cell phone or reading a map can distract you and lead to an accident. Keep in mind that a distracted driver might also be near you. Drive cautiously.
8. Be alert near parked cars. Someone could open a car door or pull out in front of you.
9. Don’t drive sleep-deprived. Sleep is not a matter of willpower, but a biological need. If you become drowsy, pull off the road and get some rest.
10. When passing another car, get past the driver’s blind spot as quickly and safely as possible.
11. Keep your distances from 5 to 10 metrs.
12. Avoid High Speeds and control speed at important crossing, bus-stand areas, school & hospital area and also at congested area.
13. Help in traffic management and Traffic Police.
14. Take special care about children, senior citizens and pedestrians.
15. Always observe and anticipate other road users
16. Drive to care not to dare
17. Don’t be rash, lets you crash.
18. Day or night obey traffic rules.

Safety Tips to Prevent Car Theft

1. Keep valuables outside the bedroom: A burglar on the hunt for valuables in a home will make the master bedroom their first stop—since that’s where the cash and jewelry are most commonly stored. So if you do keep such valuables on your property, find another room to store them. “I don’t keep anything in my bedroom,” Houseworth says. “And I don’t have much—deliberately—of great value of the small items [that] are the ones burglars like to steal [stored in my home].”
2. Radio running: Noise helps prevent burglaries as well. Houseworth leaves his radio on all day so that would-be burglars think that someone is at home. “Your home is more likely to be burglarized during the day because they think that nobody is home,” he says.
3. Free police inventory: Homeowners should be sure to remember the basics of home-theft prevention: keeping windows and doors locked at all times. For homeowners looking to go a step further, Houseworth suggests contacting the local police department and having an officer stop by the house for a safety checkup. “I don’t know of any police department that if you call them and ask them to do an inventory of your home to help harden it, they won’t come out free and give you advice on how to improve your home,” Houseworth says.
4. Fill up and deposit maid servant/ driver information form (alongwith photograph) to the Police Station. This will act as a big deterrent as these are the people who often give tips to criminals.
5. Install CCTV with recording facility at entrance and corridors.
6. Keep an electric bulb ‘ON’ when not at home.
7. Dial 100 if you notice anything suspicious.
8. Use safety chains while opening doors for the strangers. Use key holes to ascertain the identity of the visitor.
9. Keep watch on casual visitors like plumbers, auto/ rickshaw drivers, salesman and be careful not to divulge important information.
10. Do not keep excessive liquid cash / jewellery at home. Use bank / lockers for deposits.

Tips For Children

1. Do not give out identifying information such as name, home address, school name or telephone number in a chat room.
2. Do not send your photograph to any one on the Net without initially checking with the parent or guardian.
3. Do not respond to messages or bulletin board items that are obscene, belligerent or threatening.
4. Never arrange a face to face meeting without informing your parent or guardian.
5. Remember that people online may not be who they seem to be.

All citizens are requested report any suspicious activities or suspicious baggage/article on toll free no. 100 to Howrah City Police Control Room. Your identity will be kept secret.

1. Do not think that it cannot happen to you.
2. Always be aware of your surroundings.
3. If being followed or stalked, call 100 or drive directly to a police station.

• Don’ts
  • Do not touch any unclaimed, abandoned, suspicious object till arrival of Police.
  • Do not touch any unclaimed, abandoned, suspicious object till arrival of Police.
  • Do not panic, on getting any information or receiving telephone calls regarding any subversive activities and extend necessary assistance to Police.
  • Do not crowd the place if any suspicious object has been found. Please co-operate with police and clear the area as soon as possible.
  • Do not unnecessarily loiter in public places and co-operate with authorities.
  • Do not leave your personal baggage or leave your vehicle / two wheeler/ bicycle unattended at any place for long.
  • Do not be a guaranter to loan unless you know and trust the persons.
  • DO not sign as an identifier, if you do not know a person well.
• Do’s
  • Please inform about suspicious activity, if any, that comes to your notice to local Police Station or Howrah City Police Control Room on toll free no. 100. Your identity will not be disclosed.
  • Please inform about any unclaimed, abandoned or suspicious articles lying in your locality on toll free no. 100.
  • Please inform if you find any unclaimed vehicle, two-wheeler or any bi-cycle parked in your locality for long time.
  • Please help in maintaining peace by not believing in rumours.
  • Buy cell phone sets/articles from authenticated source / sellers. Buying these articles cheaper from unknown source can land you in trouble as the articles could be stolen property.

General Safety Guidelines

1. Have a proper peep hole in your front door so that you can identify the person before opening the door.
2. Have a chain lock inside your front door so that you can partially open the door and verify the stranger before opening the door.
3. As far as possible verify identity of your servant. Ask for his identity proof preferably voter ID-Card and keep a copy with you. Ask for two references and verify with them over phone. Keep a recent photograph of your servant. If it is not readily available click a photograph with your camera / mobile.
4. Please install a car alarm in your vehicle. It is not expensive compared to the value of your vehicle.
5. Please keep the phone number of your police station, and the district/ commissionerates control rooms in you mobile. These will be useful in an emergency.
6. Do not give your bank cheque book to anyone. It should be in your safe custody.
7. Banks do not ask for your credit card/debit card/ATM password / PIN number etc. If you get any e-mail or telephone call asking for these details do not give any such information and immediately inform the bank.
8. As far as possible avoid being alone in lonely/poorly lit places especially late in the night.
9. Do not accept car lift from strangers.
10. While traveling in train do not accept food / drinks / water from strangers, you may be drugged.
11. If your son / daughter is offered job through an agent please verify the identity of the agent. Keep Xerox of Voter ID Card and photograph of the agent.
12. Talk to the employer over phone to be sure of genuineness of his credentials. You may consult Panchayet, local social workers or Police Station.
13. If there is an offer of marriage for your daughter from far off place, it is better to consult Panchayet, Police or local social workers of the locality unless you are sure the background of the groom.
14. E-mail passwords should be as long as possible and should be alpha numeric. e.g. a password ‘myvillage’ is not safe, whereas a password ‘@ my%village&12’ is safe.
15. Do not open a mail from unknown source. Never click on links received from unknown sources.
16. Monetary transactions over Internet should be done only through safe sites with URL beginning with https://
17. Have authentic anti-virus protection to your computer and use genuine operating system. Update them regularly.
18. Do no keep your PIN number in ATM Card or Credit Card Cover. If you lose your ATM Card and PIN together you may lose all your money.
19. Read carefully all important documents and then sign them. Avoid initials / short signatures. Never sign a blank document. Use full signature and sign fluently.
20. Use your own pen while signing documents, forms, and cheque. Someone may give you a pen with invisible ink and cheat you by tampering the document later.
21. Beware of schemes offering unusually very high returns. Never agree to pay advance for unsolicited offers of winning huge sums in lotteries, prize money, lucrative jobs etc.

Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN)n

– “In the month of February, 2010, a team of CID, West Bengal nabbed two dreaded FICN racketeers Minarul Haque and Jasimuddin, both of Malda. They were carrying huge number of fake currency notes in denomination of Rs.1000 & Rs.500. They were convicted for their crime.”

1. Possession of FICN not only causes financial loss to the bearer but also adversely affects the Indian economy. It may also be used to finance terrorist activities.
2. Don’t be afraid if you receive FICN during transaction. Report to the nearest Police Station or Bank.
3. Know your Note: Intaglio feature, Water Mark of Mahatma Gandhi, Vertical Latent Image of the denomination on right hand side, Optical variable ink on the print of denomination, See through Register, Identification Mark, crackling sound of paper, Security Thread bearing RBI & Bharat. Cheating & Fraud : “ A boy from Barasat received SMS for winning a lottery of 5,00,000 pounds and he contacted the SMS sender. He paid Rs.60,00,000/- gradually for clearance of lottery. Investigation led the police team to Delhi. Two Nigerian nationals were arrested.”
4. There are no free lunches in this world.
5. Ignore any such SMS/E-Mails and report the matter to the nearest Police Station. ATM In a case, Mr. X went to the ATM Counter to withdraw money. He swiped his ATM Card in card-reader and entered his PIN Number. The screen went blank. There was a person Mr. Y standing next to him in the queue who asked Mr. X to hurry up. Mr. X perplexed, left the ATM counter without any withdrawal. After 10 minutes he received a SMS from the bank that Rs.10000/- has been withdrawn from his account. What happened ? Mr. Y had rigged the machine by sticking glue to the blank buttons of ATM keypad. The screen went blank for few moments when Mr. X entered the PIN after swiping the card. He felt that the machine is not working and the transaction process terminated. However Mr. Y took advantage and collected the money. The convenience of using ATM as the case shows comes with several liabilities. Precautions :- • Check the ATM keyboard for signs of tampered keys.
6. Press Cancel button after completion of the trans action or after unsuccessful transaction att empt.
7. Memorize the PIN number. Don’t write it.
8. Don’t allow anybody to watch your transaction.
9. Change your PIN regularly.

Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN)

– “In the month of February, 2010, a team of CID, West Bengal nabbed two dreaded FICN racketeers Minarul Haque and Jasimuddin, both of Malda. They were carrying huge number of fake currency notes in denomination of Rs.1000 & Rs.500. They were convicted for their crime.”

1. Possession of FICN not only causes financial loss to the bearer but also adversely affects the Indian economy. It may also be used to finance terrorist activities.
2. Don’t be afraid if you receive FICN during transaction. Report to the nearest Police Station or Bank.
3. Know your Note: Intaglio feature, Water Mark of Mahatma Gandhi, Vertical Latent Image of the denomination on right hand side, Optical variable ink on the print of denomination, See through Register, Identification Mark, crackling sound of paper, Security Thread bearing RBI & Bharat.
   Cheating & Fraud : “ A boy from Barasat received SMS for winning a lottery of 5,00,000 pounds and he contacted the SMS sender. He paid Rs.60,00,000/- gradually for clearance of lottery. Investigation led the police team to Delhi. Two Nigerian nationals were arrested.”
4. There are no free lunches in this world.
5. Ignore any such SMS/E-Mails and report the matter to the nearest Police Station. ATM In a case, Mr. X went to the ATM Counter to withdraw money. He swiped his ATM Card in card-reader and entered his PIN Number. The screen went blank. There was a person Mr. Y standing next to him in the queue who asked Mr. X to hurry up. Mr. X perplexed, left the ATM counter without any withdrawal. After 10 minutes he received a SMS from the bank that Rs.10000/- has been withdrawn from his account. What happened ? Mr. Y had rigged the machine by sticking glue to the blank buttons of ATM keypad. The screen went blank for few moments when Mr. X entered the PIN after swiping the card. He felt that the machine is not working and the transaction process terminated. However Mr. Y took advantage and collected the money. The convenience of using ATM as the case shows comes with several liabilities. Precautions :-
6. Check the ATM keyboard for signs of tampered keys.
7. Press Cancel button after completion of the trans action or after unsuccessful transaction att empt.
8. Memorize the PIN number. Don’t write it.
9. Don’t allow anybody to watch your transaction.
10. Change your PIN regularly.

Cyber Crime

With rising Internet uses wide variety of crimes are being committed in Cyber Space. These includes unauthorized access to systems or networks, theft of data, Denial of Service Attack, Virus/Worm/Trojan Attacks, Logic Bombs, E-Mail Bombing, Phishing, Hacking, Publishing obscene information, E-Mail spoofing, cyber stalking etc.

1. Keep long and difficult to guess alphanumeric password for all your accounts. Never share the password.
2. Have authentic anti-virus protection to your computer & use genuine operating system.
3. Do not open emails received from strangers. Never click on unsolicited web-links received from strangers.
4. On social networking sites avoid making friends with strangers. Never share your profile details with unknown persons.

AntiHuman Trafficking

“Sukumar (name changed) lodged a complaint that his daughter Minati (name changed) was missing for few months. He had sent his daughter with an agent for domestic work . After few days Sukumar did not receive any information about Minati. After investigation CID was successful in recovering MInati from illegal traffickers in Delhi.”

1. Always verify the credibility of agents from local Panchayet, Police Stations or Social Workers. Collect Agent’s phone number and proof of identity preferably Voter ID.
2. Get details including address and the phone number of your ward’s employer. Contact him in advance.
3. Always keep photographs, phone numbers, passport details (if available) of your ward in your possession and keep in regular touch with him over phone/letters etc.