190. Rules for the patrolling of roads-

The following rules govern the patrolling of roads: 

(i) Civil Police shall ordinarily be employed; armed and mounted police may be used in special circumstances; village chaukidars may not be used.

(ii) Where constables can be spared for the regular patrol of roads the officer-in-charge of each station will choose a word daily as a parade and will record it at the beginning of the general diary for the day. He will write the word over his signature on slip of a paper which he will give to the patrol; the officer-in-charge of the station at which this paper is delivered will attach it to the copy of his general diary which he sends to headquarters. Advantage may be taken of any public day, except escort of prisoners or treasure for the conveyance of the patrols. The time at which patrols are sent out should vary and they should be sent out at the hour or on the occasion when they can be most useful; for instance, carts containing property of value may be accompanied. Patrols should see that order is maintained along the road, and watch over the security of travellers. No regard should be paid to district and police station boundaries. The patrol of the road between two police stations devolves upon the police of those stations, whether situated in the same or different districts.

(iii) Constables employed on night duty as road patrols may be armed with spears or muskets.

191. Duties of Patrols-

Patrols should prevent and report cases of injury to road-side trees and encroachments on the road. If there is telegraph line along the road the patrol should look out for and report any damage to poles and wires; information of such damage should be sent immediately by the officer-incharge of the police station to the nearest telegraph office.

192. Information of thefts of copper telegraph wire-

In order to ensure that police shall receive sufficiently prompt information of thefts of copper telegraph wire, it has been arranged with the Telegraph Department that the linesman who is sent to repair a break after wire has been stolen shall, if possible, take a police officer with him. Any officer of the district or railway police who is requested to accompany a linesman on such an occasion should comply with the request, and if the theft has not occurred in his jurisdiction, should take such steps as may be necessary for the detention of the thief and should communicate with the officer-in-charge of the station concerned.

193. Cooperation of district and railway police for suppression and detention of thefts of copper telegraph wire-

All officers of the district and railway police are expected to cooperate with each other and with the Telegraph Department in the suppression and detention of this form of the crime. Officerin-charge of the police stations should not wait to hear from the linesman, if they receive information of a theft otherwise than through him, but should go to the spot immediately. Special measures should be taken to watch a telegraph line for some days after the theft of wire in view to catching the culprits in the act. Information should be sent to the neighbouring police stations through which the telegraph line runs.

194. Six-beat system of Patrolling in towns-

In towns, patrol should be carried out on the ‘six-beat system’, the essential features of which are that every man should have two nights’ rest in every six, that there should always be one man on duty in the beat by day and two men at night (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and that no man should have more than four hours’ night work at a time)

The following table gives an example of the distribution of beat duty according to the system, which may be varied to suit local requirements :

Scheme of beat duty in towns

HOT WEATHER

Day Hours                                                                              Night Hours

6-8 8-10 10-1 1-4 4-6                                                         6-8 8-10 10-2 2-6

1 st … …  A B C D A                                                             B    CD   EF  AB

2 nd … … C D E F C                                                            D   EF    AB  DC

3 rd … … E F A B E                                                              F    AB   CD  EF

4 th … … etc. … … … … … … … … 

COLD WEATHER

Day  Hours                                                                         Night Hours

6-8 8-11 11-2 2-5 5-8                                                        8-10 10-2 2-6

1 st … … AB C D E F                                                         CD EF AB

2 nd … … CD E F A B                                                        EF AB CD

3 rd … … EF A B C D                                                          AB CD EF

4 th … … etc. … … … … … … …

Notes.-

(1) The men on patrol duty at night should be constantly on the move and should pay special attention to places when burglars are likely to operate. Half the men off duty during the day must be present at the station or outpost. All the men off duty must be present at night.

(2) Where the force is large enough, beats should be arranged in circles each circle being in-charge of sub-inspector or head constable. If chaukidars are used for watch and ward, this supervisory duty may be performed by a constable. The officer should go his rounds with a special night patrol to see that the men on beat duty are doing their work properly and to look out for thieves. This special patrol may with advantages wear plain clothes occasionally. Men on beat duty and on special night patrol in towns should be provided with spears bludgeons.

(3) Constables on patrol duty should be made responsible for the surveillance of registered bad characters at night.

195. Pickets in town and rural areas-

To supplement, or as an alternative to night patrol, pickets may be posted in town and rural areas-

(1) to watch the houses or approaches to the houses of registered bad characters (compare paragraph 236);

(2) to intercept criminals on their way to or from the scenes of crimes. Two men will ordinarily form a picket, but in special circumstances e.g., if dangerous criminals are likely to be met, this number must be increased. Pickets should take up their positions without attracting attention. They must not move about or make noise, and must be well concealed. Each member of  a picket should watch in turn while his companions sleep. Should a bad character, whose house is picked, leave it during the night, the picket should not ordinarily follow him but should watch for his return. The picketing system should be used as a means of controlling bad characters who are suspected to be temporarily active, and in areas where dacoity or burglary is rife.