A senior officer from the special cell, speaking on condition of anonymity, said one of the most troubling findings was at a prominent five-star hotel, where 22 CCTV cameras were found to be non-functional
The Delhi Police’s special cell has found major security lapses at more than 120 locations across the capital during a five-day security audit conducted ahead of Independence Day.
The audit, which covered high-end hotels, metro stations, shopping malls, and cinema halls, revealed widespread negligence and non-compliance with standard security protocols. Officials said the shortcomings could pose a serious risk to public safety, particularly as Delhi moves into high-alert mode in the run-up to 15 August.
A senior officer from the special cell, speaking on condition of anonymity, said one of the most troubling findings was at a prominent five-star hotel, where 22 CCTV cameras were found to be non-functional.
“Despite repeated instructions to fix the surveillance system, the management allegedly ignored the directive, leaving blind spots across crucial entry and exit points,” the officer said. “Such laxity puts public safety at serious risk, especially in the run-up to August 15 when Delhi becomes a high-alert zone. Ignoring security advisories is not just careless, it’s dangerous.”
The officer added that several metro stations were also found lacking in provisions for women’s safety, with inadequate deployment of female security personnel and underperforming surveillance systems.
“Checks revealed that the CCTV system at some stations was not up to the mark,” the officer said. “The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has been instructed to bolster surveillance and improve emergency response mechanisms, particularly during peak hours.”
A second officer involved in the security audit noted that many shopping malls, often crowded during weekends and holidays, had failed to install basic security infrastructure.
“Many malls had not installed boom barriers or X-ray baggage scanners at entry points,” the officer said. “Instead, basic metal detectors were being used, offering minimal deterrence to those with ill intent. In the present scenario, where threats can manifest at any location, it is unacceptable that malls are still treating security as an afterthought.”
The audit also found that several hotels lacked a fire response plan or failed to update details of current staff and guests. In many cases, guest records were either not properly maintained or not shared with local police – a standard requirement for commercial accommodations.
According to officials, the northeast district recorded the highest number of lapses (16), followed by east Delhi (13) – of which Shahdara alone accounted for 12. Other districts with significant shortcomings included southeast (11), southwest (10), west (10), outer (9), central (9), north (8), Rohini (7), and south (6).
“This data has been shared with senior officials, and district-level commanders have been tasked with ensuring prompt rectification,” the first officer said. “We conducted these inspections based on prior intelligence alerts regarding potential threats around Independence Day celebrations. The checks were carried out in coordination with local police, fire services, and intelligence agencies to evaluate the ground-level readiness of critical infrastructure.”
The second officer said a detailed report of the findings would be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the office of the lieutenant governor of Delhi in the coming days.
