Police officials up to DCP rank directed to conduct foot patrol in public places across Gurugram

As per the new system, DCPs of all four zones – East, West, South and Manesar – will conduct a foot march with an armed contingent at least once a month.

All deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) and assistant commissioners of police (ACPs), along with station house officers (SHOs), will now periodically carry out foot patrols with their teams in residential areas, public places, crowded markets, and other parts of Gurugram, officials said on Friday.

The system has been introduced by Gurugram police commissioner Sibash Kabiraj as a confidence-building measure among residents and the trader community (PTI/ Representative)

The system has been introduced by Gurugram police commissioner Sibash Kabiraj as a confidence-building measure among residents and the trader community, as well as to increase police visibility among people.

As per the new system, DCPs of all four zones – East, West, South and Manesar – will conduct a foot march with an armed contingent at least once a month. Every month, patrols will be conducted in a new area.

Similarly, at least 13 ACPs posted in the field will conduct foot patrols twice a month, while the station house officers of 39 police stations will do so once a week.

Why the measure?

City police commissioner Sibash Kabiraj said that the decision to deploy senior officials for foot patrolling has been taken as a confidence-building measure among the common people.

Kabiraj said that residents, businessmen and traders should get the message that police can be approached at any time.

“In a city like Gurugram, police presence and easy approach carries more importance as a major chunk of the population migratory in nature which is from other states,” he said.

Officials said this foot patrolling is in addition to the night patrolling arrangement, in which one DCP-rank official, three ACPs, and eight SHOs stay on patrol all night with emergency response vehicle teams and riders across entire Gurugram.

More for building public confidence

Besides foot patrolling, all these officials have been directed to hold meetings with resident welfare associations, traders’ associations, petrol pump owners, contractors, transport and workers' unions, ambulance operators, and other such groups and fraternities to understand their problems and establish direct contact with them.

Officials said that they have already started holding meetings with residents and other stakeholders.

“The motive of these meetings is to know their problems, break the ice and make them feel comfortable to approach police freely, make them aware of laws and also seek information and feedback from them for crime control and improve patrolling across the city,” an official said.

He said residents mainly demand intensified patrolling for their safety, parking-related disputes in affordable societies, and raise concerns about dark streets.

“We are increasing patrolling in several areas on residents’ demand. Besides, we are also writing to concerned departments and civic bodies for fixing street lights to ensure safety. Traffic police are taking up issues of congestion raised during these meetings,” he said, adding that concerned police stations have been asked to crack down on anti-social or criminal activities like drug peddling and parking-related extortion being carried out by local contractors.