Delhi Police Chief Orders Weekend Foot Patrols to Tackle Congestion

Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha has ordered district and traffic Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) to conduct mandatory joint foot patrols across Delhi on weekends and select weekdays. According to a circular issued by Golchha on Thursday, the directive aims to improve visible policing, address traffic bottlenecks, remove encroachments, and strengthen public engagement.

The new mandate requires patrols to be carried out every Saturday and Sunday, as well as on two additional weekdays, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The specific two additional weekdays will be decided by the concerned DCPs in consultation with their respective Joint Commissioners of Police (JCP) of ranges.

During these designated hours, DCPs, Additional DCPs, and Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs) from both the district and traffic police units must remain in the field. The circular explicitly states that this exercise is a compulsory field duty rather than a routine formality, meant to ensure direct supervision and immediate corrective action on the ground. To ensure officers can devote their time exclusively to field presence, no office work, meetings, conferences, or indoor reviews are to be scheduled during the patrol hours.

Under the guidelines, officers are tasked with interacting directly with residents, traders, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), and Market Welfare Associations (MWAs). They are also instructed to identify and remove temporary encroachments, address traffic bottlenecks, ensure smooth vehicular movement, and inspect vulnerable public spaces and markets.

An official stated that Golchha issued the circular after Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu recently directed that such a drive be initiated. The Lieutenant Governor also directed the police to hold 'Thana Divas – Jan Sunwai', an initiative where public grievances are heard and redressed at local police stations.

To ensure strict compliance, each district and traffic unit must submit a weekly report every Monday to the concerned Special CPs. These reports must include photographs and videography of the patrols. Officers must also maintain a separate record of each exercise, detailing the date, time, names and ranks of officers present, routes covered, associations contacted, legal actions taken, encroachments removed, and actions taken against illegal parking.

The circular warned that any lapses, casual approaches, non-participation of supervisory officers, or failure to submit reports on time will be viewed seriously by the administration.