Uttar Pradesh Police will intensify evening patrols in crowded markets and sensitive areas ahead of the festive season, while stepping up investigations into the wider networks behind criminal gangs, including their interstate links, illegal arms supply chains and drug trafficking routes.
The DGP directed senior officers and station house officers (SHOs) to personally conduct evening patrols in busy markets and other important locations. Officers were asked to analyse recent crimes, criminal patterns and policing challenges in their respective jurisdictions before undertaking patrols, rather than restrict themselves to routine area visits. Police personnel deployed in sensitive areas will be briefed to identify visible indicators of illegal drug manufacturing and trafficking. Beat constables will also be tasked with gathering credible intelligence on narcotics, illegal firearms and organised crime networks, with action to follow on the information collected. With firecracker-related accidents posing a recurring risk during Diwali, police personnel were directed to complete inspections of temporary shops and storage facilities across the state and strictly enforce safety standards. Shops must have water, sand and fire extinguishers, while fire services personnel will remain on alert from before Diwali through Chhath. In a separate set of directions, ADG Amitabh Yash asked district police not to treat the arrest of accused or the disclosure of a crime as the end of an investigation. Investigators must probe the entire network of gangs involved, their geographical spread and their links with criminal groups in other districts. Police must question arrested suspects to identify sources of illegal firearms and trace the complete supply chain, while investigations into drug trafficking must establish the wider distribution and supply networks.
The DGP also directed UP-112 emergency response vehicles to undertake slow, continuous patrolling in their designated areas, in addition to responding to emergencies. From 6 pm onwards, the vehicles should sound their sirens at prescribed intervals to reinforce police presence.
Foot patrols must also involve interaction with shopkeepers and residents to identify local problems and resolve grievances wherever possible, according to the directives. Firecracker shops must operate at designated open and safe locations away from main markets, with temporary licences mandatory, according to the directives. The directives were issued by director general of police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna and additional director general of police (law and order) Amitabh Yash during an online meeting on Saturday with senior officers across the state to review security arrangements for Dhanteras, Diwali, Govardhan Puja, Bhai Dooj and Chhath.
