Delhi’s traditional policing systems help patrol rugged terrains, waterway during Brics Summit

New DelhiAmid a sea of armoured cars, high-tech surveillance systems and deployment of anti-drone technology for the Brics Summit, a striking visual has been the Delhi Police’s mounted unit—trotting along tracks and riverbanks for security, and reigniting the Capital’s nostalgia for its more traditional policing systems

New Delhi

The Brics Summit is being held at Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Amid a sea of armoured cars, high-tech surveillance systems and deployment of anti-drone technology for the Brics Summit, a striking visual has been the Delhi Police’s mounted unit—trotting along tracks and riverbanks for security, and reigniting the Capital’s nostalgia for its more traditional policing systems.

Police officers say that not just horses, but they have also deployed dog squads, boats, cycle and foot patrols to secure central Delhi’s ridges, the Yamuna river, parks and congested areas, all of which have been traditionally used to patrol the Capital’s irregular or unpaved pathways.

A senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said, “Trained horses and dogs, boats and bicycles have been an integral part of the Delhi Police’s policing for generations. Policing in the national capital has evolved with cutting-edge technologies, but some traditional methods still have an important role in securing Delhi, especially when the city hosts important international events like Brics and G20 summits.”

Police said that currently, four mounted patrolling teams, comprising at least 20 trained horses, are engaged in round-the-clock combing operations in the central, southern, and south-central ridges. Boat patrolling is being conducted in the Yamuna river in areas close to Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the ongoing Brics Summit, at least three senior police officers aware of the security plans said on Saturday.

Additional commissioner of police Rajeev Ranjan, who is also the Delhi Police spokesperson, said that the objective of using horses, boats and bicycles is to cover every possible area, including the ridges, comprising rugged terrain.

“The Delhi Police have made extensive preparations regarding security, law and order and traffic arrangements for the Brics Summit. We are using every available resource to ensure the safety of the event, the foreign and domestic guests, and the city,” Ranjan said.

The mounted police falls under the provisioning and logistics (P&L) unit of the Delhi Police and presently, has a strength of 30 horses that are housed and trained at its headquarters at Old Police Lines in north Delhi’s Civil Lines. Before the G20 Summit in 2023, the Delhi Police strengthened the mounted squad by adding 15 trained horses brought from the Indian Army’s Remount Veterinary Corps division to their then existing strength of 15 horses, a second police officer said.

“The New Delhi district requested for 20 horses from the P&L unit for using them to patrol and secure forested areas. They received the horses along with their handlers, who are part of the mounted policing teams. The mounted squad is also used during other key events, including Independence Day and Republic Day arrangements. The horses were seen on streets during the G20 Summit as well,” the second officer said.

A third officer, also requesting anonymity, said that five boats have been deployed to patrol the Yamuna, to ensure no untoward incident takes place at the Bharat Mandapam, which is close to the river.

Wearing life-saving jackets, deputy commissioners of police (east and Shahdara) Rajeev Kumar and Rajendra Prasad Meena have also been engaged in the boat patrolling exercise.

“Since the Yamuna is also a sensitive zone from a security perspective, we have been patrolling the water channel and keeping a close watch on people in the river and its connected floodplains. Our objective is to monitor the riverine stretch around the Bharat Mandapam and strengthen security along approaches that cannot be covered through road patrols,” DCP Rajeev Kumar said.

The K9 unit’s trained dogs have also been deployed at and around the venue, the nine hotels where foreign delegations are staying, IGI and Palam airports, and stretches along the designated routes. The mounted squad, boats and sniffer dogs are supplemented by bicycle and foot patrols in parks, congested neighbourhoods and markets. They allow personnel to enter narrow lanes and crowded public spaces where vehicles cannot move freely, the officers said.

In all, nearly 30,000 security personnel from the Delhi Police and armed paramilitary forces have been deployed. More than 500 surveillance cameras and 200 patrol vans are also part of the security cover for the summit, which concludes on Sunday.