CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Police Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) A Arun has issued a memo to the City Commissioners and Superintendents of Police across the state to direct their personnel to curb the unauthorised use of ‘POLICE’ stickers on private vehicles.

Observing that such a practice is widely prevalent, the memo highlighted the negative consequences of this unlawful practice. “It is a major security concern as anti-nationals, criminals and rowdy elements can misuse the ‘POLICE’ sticker for illegal activities,” the official communication from the ADGP stated.

The usage of police stickers is likely to hamper the work of police personnel who conduct vehicle inspection as they are unlikely to check in the assumption that the occupant might be a police officer. There are high possibilities of non-police persons misusing the sticker to engage in criminal activities.

“Time and again, it is reiterated that all the unit officers are instructed to strictly enforce the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act and ensure that no private vehicle displays ‘POLICE’ board/stickers, irrespective of the person using the vehicle,” the memo stated and directed strict enforcement of the rule across the state.