The Hyderabad City Police held two interaction and coordination meetings on July 17 and 18 at the DCP West Zone office with owners and managements of pubs, bars, restaurants, cafés, and coffee shops to discuss various safety and security measures.

The meetings were chaired by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, West Zone, S. M. Vijay Kumar, along with the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police and Assistant Commissioners of Police from Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Panjagutta, and SR Nagar Divisions, as well as all SHOs from the West Zone.

During the sessions, the police advised all entertainment establishments to apply for mandatory police licences through the official web portal (https://hyderabadpolice.gov.in/permission.html).

These include the Entertainment licence for establishments such as bars, restaurants, and hotels, the Amusement licence for playing music (which can only be applied for after securing the Entertainment licence), and the Entertainment-cum-Amusement licence, applicable to pubs and establishments playing music.

Managements were directed to install door frame metal detectors and hand-held metal detectors at all entry and exit points and ensure that any suspicious material is properly checked and reported to the local police, if necessary.

Adequate lighting must be arranged at all entrances, exits, and parking areas. CCTV cameras with clear visuals must be installed to cover the entire premises and must retain at least 30 days of backup footage. Establishments must also install cameras covering the main approach roads to aid crime detection in the area.

Clear and visible signboards must be in place to guide people in case of an emergency evacuation to prevent stampede-like situations. Strict instructions were issued to prevent minors from consuming alcohol or smoking on the premises. All establishments holding Amusement licences must ensure that noise levels remain within the permitted limits of 65 decibels during the day and 55 decibels at night. They were also told to make appropriate engineering or acoustic adjustments to comply with this.

Patrons under the influence of alcohol must not be allowed to drive, and managers should promote the use of alternative transport or hire drivers. All bouncers and security personnel must be professionally trained in basic fire safety and emergency response and should regularly participate in mock drills to stay prepared.

Any illegal act or suspicious incident must be reported without delay to the local police or by dialling 100 to ensure it is recorded and acted upon. Establishments must obtain police permission if they are organising any events or programmes to avoid overcrowding and ensure safety measures are in place.