Gujarat's newly appointed Director General of Police (DGP) Gyanender Singh Malik formally assumed charge on Monday, 8 June at Police Bhavan, Gandhinagar, outlining an agenda built around technology-driven policing, expanded CCTV surveillance, intensified action against narcotics networks, and faster resolution of public grievances. Malik, a 1993-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was elevated from his previous role as Ahmedabad Police Commissioner.

End of a Five-Month Vacancy

The state government announced Malik's appointment on Saturday, 6 June, ending nearly five months during which the DGP post had been held on additional charge by senior officer K.L.N. Rao. Malik's selection followed the prescribed panel-forwarding process, and his elevation comes as Gujarat seeks to reinforce policing capabilities across organised crime, drug trafficking, cybersecurity, and public safety.

CCTV Network as a Blueprint

Addressing reporters after assuming charge, Malik pointed to Ahmedabad's surveillance infrastructure as a model for the rest of the state. 'More than 24,000 CCTV cameras had been installed across Ahmedabad with public participation. Of these, feeds from over 3,000 strategically located cameras are linked directly to police stations, while the police control room receives live feeds from more than 7,000 cameras,' he said. Malik attributed a measurable deterrence effect to the network, noting that awareness of being identifiable through footage had itself helped curb theft, robbery, and chain-snatching.

Narcotics and Cybercrime: Top Priorities

Malik identified narcotics trafficking as one of the most pressing challenges facing the Gujarat Police. 'Narcotics is one of our top priorities. We will continue to intensify our efforts against drug networks,' he said, adding that the Anti-Narcotics Task Force would be further strengthened for state-wide enforcement. On cybercrime — an area he described as growing rapidly and demanding specialised skills — Malik said training programmes developed in Ahmedabad would be scaled up to district police units to sharpen investigative and technical capabilities.

Grievance Redressal and Community Policing

The new DGP stressed that citizens' complaints should be resolved at the police station and district level, reducing the need for repeated visits to senior authorities in Gandhinagar. He also underlined the importance of maintaining public confidence, particularly in rural areas, through improved communication and community engagement. 'Detection is the best prevention. If an offender is caught after one or two crimes, it prevents many more offences from happening in the future,' Malik said, framing proactive detection as a core crime-prevention strategy.

Malik's Background and Career

A native of Haryana, Malik holds an electrical engineering degree from Banaras Hindu University and a law degree from Gujarat University. His more than three decades in policing span district assignments across Gujarat — including stints as Superintendent of Police in Kutch, Bharuch, Surendranagar, Porbandar, and Dangs — central deputation with the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and participation in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. He was appointed Ahmedabad Police Commissioner in July 2023 before his elevation to DGP. With cyber security, narcotics control, and expanded surveillance now firmly on his agenda, Malik's first months in the role will test whether Ahmedabad's policing model can be replicated at scale across Gujarat.