Cops posted on city periphery most vulnerable to violence

Ten of the 16 Delhi policemen who died in the line of duty in the last five years were killed near the border areas, especially in either Outer Delhi or North-eastern Delhi, which share its border with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Policing along the borders of Delhi is the most unsafe and challenging task, records pertaining to the number of Delhi Police personnel killed or attacked on duty over the last five years show.

Police records also show that most of the attacks against police officers take place in the border areas. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Of the 16 Delhi Police personnel who died on duty — while trying to stop or arrest cattle thieves, robbers and absconding criminals — over this period, 10 were killed near the border areas, especially in either Outer Delhi or North-eastern Delhi, which share its border with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Last September, head constable Vijay Saini, who was posted at the Vijay Vihar police station, was found dead – with a bullet wound on his neck – outside his office. Despite registering a murder case almost a year ago, police are yet to identify Saini’s attacker(s).

A year before Saini’s death, constable Anand Singh – posted at the Bawana police station – was returning home from work on his motorcycle when he saw three men attempting to rob a woman at gunpoint. As he rushed to the woman’s rescue, the assailants shot him dead.

Police records also show that most of the attacks against police officers also take place in the border areas. Earlier this year, at least 30 rounds of gunfire were exchanged between alleged cattle thieves and a police team in outer Delhi’s Chhawala.

“It is a challenge to work in the border areas. The rate of crime in those areas is much more compared to the ones in Central Delhi, New Delhi or South Delhi. Moreover, the four corners of Delhi share its borders with urban villages of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, which are notorious for its crime rate,” a senior police officer said.

According to records, police stations along the borders such as the ones in Aman Vihar and Mangolpuri, for example, registered around 1,300 and 1,500 cases of crime over the last one year respectively. In comparison, a single police station in South, Central or New Delhi register less than 400 cases per year.

Speaking on the problems of police along the border areas, another police officer said that another challenge that the police face in the border areas in the vast expanse of the districts.

“While a police station such as the ones in Aman Vihar, Chhawala or Najafgarh have, under their jurisdiction, responsibility of 10 lakh people and cover an area of 24km, police stations in Hauz Khas or Saket are likely to be responsible for less than 3 lakh people and have to cover an area of three-four sq km. Hence, it is not possible for the police control room vans to patrol every area under their jurisdiction to patrol round-the-clock. So, it becomes easier for criminals to throw around their clout and commit crimes. The problem starts only when policemen try to stop them,” the officer said.