In Gurgaon, incidents of crime have been spiraling in the last few years. Car thefts, robberies, rapes and incidents of chain snatching have multiplied while the police have been struggling to restore law and order. This struggle can be attributed to the existing manpower crunch in the police force.
In 2011 the head count of the Gurgaon Police stood at 3,387. At that time the city had a population of 15.14 lakh. Today seventeen years later, the population of the city stands at 25 lakh. The head count of the police force however is only 4,335. This means less than 1,000 additional cops have been inducted into the force in all these years. Consequently, their presence is very limited in some sectors. Gurgaon News
Ajay Sharma, a resident of Sector 70 said, “The roads are so deserted in our locality that travelling after dark is dangerous. Even people from courier services do not cater to our locality after 3 pm.”
Upcoming sectors like 69, 70, 82 and 110 are devoid of police stations and patrolling too is very scanty. With just three police stations in the vicinity (at Rajinder Nagar, Kherki Dhaula and Sector 37) people feel unsafe in these sectors.
“To make matters worse, these sectors have a challenge of public transport. We have to travel in cabs and shared autos, which can be risky,” said Anjali Chauhan a resident of Sector 82.
Places like Suncity Township on the Golf Course Road are other unsafe stretches.
“Though burglaries have been rampant here the policing has not been increased,” said VMK Singh, Secretary RWA.
Though people living in condominiums and societies of the township enjoy a relative security cover within their premises (since there are guards manning the premises) the roads outside are prone to theft and more serious crime.
Speaking about the issue, Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar, said, “Yes we are understaffed. However, recently some manpower has been sanctioned. These people are undergoing training now. Once they are part of the active force, the situation should improve. Proposals for new units and additional manpower have also been made.”
