The new State police chief, M.A. Saleem, on Saturday, issued directions to police personnel across the State to refrain from random vehicle checks without valid reasons.
In the circular issued on Saturday, May 31, he cited two cases – a toddler being killed and a couple injured while trying to avoid random checks by traffic police in Mandya on May 26 and another incident from Davangere where a constable was mowed down by a speeding goods vehicle in an attempt to skip being caught during a random check on May 13. He said in both incidents, traffic police had failed to take preventive and precautionary measures during checks endangering their own personal safety and also safety of motorists.
Mr. Saleem directed the traffic police to check only if they come across visible violations and refrain from confronting and trying to stop vehicles moving fast. He directed the officials on traffic duty not to stop speeding vehicles on highways and, in case of inspection drives, to “use reflective rubber cones 100-150 metres away, so the vehicles have ample time to slow down”.
He also barred the use of zigzag barricades for enforcement, pulling the rider or pillion rider from the bike while they are on it or taking away the vehicle keys. He also directed the law and order policemen to try and limit holding nakabandi on highways and to use the help of traffic policemen wherever needed.
Traffic policemen are required to wear reflective jackets during checks and use LED batons in the evenings and nights, he further said. “Body worn cameras should be compulsorily worn during physical vehicle inspection, and the special drives should be carried in the well lit areas,” Mr. Saleem added.
Referring to contactless enforcement, Mr. Saleem directed the traffic policemen not to chase vehicles violating norms but to note down the registration numbers and inform the necessary control rooms. In zones where traffic management centres of Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS) are established, he advised the policemen to use contactless enforcement through ITMS.
Published – May 31, 2025 10:51 pm IST
