Gurugram: Within the last two months, over six assaults were reported on Gurugram Traffic Police personnel in the space of a mere two weeks.
One such incident in 2017 claimed the life of a 40-year-old road safety (RSO) officer who was mowed down by a vehicle.
In June this year, after completing his more than 12 hour-long duty, a constable died of a cardiac arrest.
These are just some examples of the challenges faced on a regular basis by the more than 900 traffic constables and RSOs in Gurugram Police.
On August 28, these personnel faced flak from the public over inadequate preparations in dealing with the heavy downpour in the city.
However, back in the 2016 rain crisis, these very brave men and women of Gurugram Police saved the day by managing the traffic whil fighting constant rains and not letting the traffic stall.
Meanwhile, the strategy by Gurugram Police Commissioner KK Rao to have constables stationed in key areas of the city 24 hours a day seems to be bearing fruit.
According to police officials, the city has seen an over 20 per cent reduction in snatching cases.
A large number of stretches in the city, including Mahaveer Chowk, IFFCO Chowk and Sector-10, are completely dependent on traffic cops for smooth flow of traffic.
The picture, however, is not completely rosy. There have been often been complaints about how most Gurugram cops, on the pretext of levying fines on traffic violators, harass innocent commuters.
Sometimes, there are also allegations of law enforcement officials going soft on actual violators.
"There will be some people who will be against us and that is fine. Yet, the fact remains that no one in the city can complain today that the police is not present in the key locations of the city," said a senior official from Gurugram police.
"Even though we cannot be present in all parts, we have identified vulnerable spots and increased our presence there," he added.
The official further said, "There have been occasions when limited resources and hostility by the citizens take a toll. We are trying to address these challenges."
Currently, the Haryana government is focussing on increasing the number of traffic cops and police stations in the city.
In just one year, over 500 traffic cops have been inducted in the Gurugram Police force.
Moreover, many Army officers, who took voluntary retirement, are being encouraged to be join as RSOs.