New Delhi: Files piling up, meticulously handwritten FIRs, registers of solved cases logged in, and chits being sent across police stations for confirmations were all part of beat constable Mahavir Singh’s routine when he joined the force in 1982. Each time the beat changed, the records had to be transferred to the next officer, who would then rebuild informers and community ties from scratch.Fast forward to 2025, and the sea change in Delhi’s beat policing is clearly visible. What once relied on paper, memory, and footwork is now increasingly guided by apps, databases, and instant communication.Moving from registers to digital screens, the work has transformed in unexpected ways. Today, officers manage their beat records through the e-beatbook application. From details of key establishments like schools and colleges to information about vulnerable groups such as senior citizens and homeless people, the app creates a database that officers build upon and hand over when their beat changes.According to head constable Ajay Dahiya, who is deployed at Kashmere Gate police station and oversees beat number 8 adjoining the Kashmere Gate metro station, each officer updates the app during their tenure, and the stored information is smoothly passed on. Head constable Anil Kumar, who is on beat number 5 — the Monastery Market beat — at Civil Lines police station, says informers often have vested interests when they share tip-offs. “This, however, does not have any enemies or friends,” he jokes, pointing to the app on his phone.Officers say that while contacting informers earlier meant physically tracking their movements or sending messages through local guards, they can now be reached discreetly through social media.Inside a market welfare body’s administrative office, Kumar points towards live CCTV footage and explains that his access to the system often helps other police stations crack cases. Inter-police-station communication, he says, has become far smoother over time.Their mode of community engagement has also changed. While Singh remembers using a loudspeaker through the busy lanes of Khari Baoli, officers today connect to large groups through social media, resident welfare associations, and market welfare associations. For information such as verification camps, social media has proven to be an effective tool for cops to reach a large number of citizens.They add that while being acquainted with parking attendants, dhaba owners, and scrap dealers remains essential, they now have faster ways to verify criminal histories and credibility. It has also become easier to send the details of any domestic help or tenant in Delhi to their local police station and verify their background in their native place.As far as patrolling is concerned, Singh says the biggest change is the shift from constant street-level interaction to computerised systems. The old and often tedious legwork kept officers closely connected to people, but digital processes made routine tasks quicker and freed up time for other work. Back in the day, subtle cues such as expressions, pulse rates, and voice modulation were key to identifying those with criminal backgrounds, an instinct that is now being overseen by technology, he adds.Officers note that the number of beat staff has grown over the years. While deployment still depends on population density and crime levels, the nature of crimes has changed, with improved connectivity allowing offenders to move easily across neighbourhoods instead of staying confined to local pockets. While Dahiya currently works in a team of 5, Kumar is part of a 3-member team. But, according to Singh, when he started in the 1980s, there were not more than 2 partners in a beat.Singh’s son, who is a sub-inspector, gives him a close view of how beat policing looks for the younger generation. “Kids know so much now,” says Singh. “When we were first introduced to technology, we took time to learn.”According to Special CP (law and order) Ravindra Yadav, beat officers are the backbone of the force. “We are striving to increase the use of modern technology in line with the directive of the Union home ministry,” he said. DCP (North) Raja Banthia said the core of patrolling was knowing the locality well. “Technology has helped make that faster,” he added. Some cops, however, acknowledged that while digital tools transformed beat policing, there was scope for improvement.
