Bengaluru Traffic Police bring back weekday drunk-driving tests to curb accidents, crime

The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) have resumed drunk-driving (DD) checks on all days of the week to curb accidents and nighttime criminal activity.

In the last week of August, Karthik Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), instructed the Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCP) of all four traffic divisions to conduct daily checks within their jurisdictions, a senior police source told The Hindu.

A senior officer clarified that the purpose of extending checks to weekdays is not merely to slap fines. “There have been several instances where drunk drivers were involved in nighttime crimes as well as accidents. So, as a pilot initiative, we started this routine,” the officer said.

Already underway

Gopal M. Byakod, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), South, told The Hindu that DD checks have been in place for the past 20 days.

Both inspectors and sub-inspectors are authorised to conduct the checks, and they are required to be assisted by at least one woman officer, according to police sources. As part of the pilot programme, at least three checkpoints have been set up in each division.

However, in the East division, more than 10 checkpoints have been deployed, since it covers the Central Business District (CBD) and high streets such as Brigade Road and Church Street.

Alcometer complaints

The decision comes amid complaints about irregularities in alcometers. A senior officer from the Northeast subdivision dismissed these claims, stating that alcometers are regularly calibrated and no tampering has been detected.

Anoop A. Shetty, DCP, West (Traffic), said, “If people have complaints about bribes or any other concerns, they can always bring them to the notice of senior officers. All officers are required to wear body-worn cameras at all times, so there is no room for manipulation.”

Mandatory wearing of body-worn cameras

About two years ago, the BTP stopped conducting daily DD checks, restricting them to weekends following a wave of complaints that personnel deployed at checkpoints were demanding bribes. In 2023, the police department made it mandatory for officers to wear body-worn cameras and began equipping all of them with compact devices.

Once all officers were equipped with cameras, the traffic police piloted weekday checks in 2024, starting with Thursdays. During that trial, no allegations or complaints were reported.

“Now, with body-worn cameras, everything on the ground is recorded, leaving little scope for bribery. If complaints arise, the footage can be reviewed, and circumstantial investigations can be carried out in case of any technical issues with the cameras,” the officer said.

Additionally, sub-inspectors are now authorised to conduct tests and book cases, which will further scale up the number of checks.