Police Respond to Street Crime Rise with Patrol Surge
The Ahmedabad Police Commissioner on May 27 announced a significant enhancement of night-time patrolling across the city’s six zones, following internal crime data showing an 18% increase in street crime incidents — including chain snatching, motorcycle theft, and robbery — over the preceding two months compared to the same period in the previous year.
The Enhanced Plan
Under the enhanced patrolling plan, 40 additional personnel from the district armed police reserve have been deployed in rotating night shifts across the six identified high-incidence zones. These zones, which include parts of Maninagar, Rakhial, Narol, Bapunagar, Saraspur, and Gomtipur, had all recorded above-average incident rates in the internal assessment.
In addition, the Commissioner announced the launch of a night-time drone surveillance pilot in two zones — Maninagar and Narol — where the concentrated incidence of chain snatching on specific road stretches had been documented. The drones will operate between 10 PM and 3 AM and feed live to the police control room.
The Crime Breakdown
Of the increase, approximately 55% was accounted for by motorcycle theft and two-wheeler snatching incidents. Chain snatching — frequently carried out by pairs on motorcycles — accounted for a further 30%. The remainder consisted of robbery and other street offences. The Commissioner attributed part of the increase to seasonal factors — reduced street lighting in monsoon conditions and the cover of early darkness — and stated that the enhanced measures were expected to demonstrate impact within four to six weeks.
Citizen Response
The announcement was welcomed by residents’ associations in several affected localities, though some community leaders noted that while patrol surges provide short-term deterrence, sustainable crime reduction requires investment in permanent police posts in the most affected stretches, which remain understaffed.