The unit of calculation for the determination of the number of chaukidars to be entertained should be houses and not persons, and for the purposes of this calculation it must not be forgotten that the defadar should be counted as a chaukidar. From 100 to 120 houses should ordinarily be considered the normal number to be allotted to each chaukidar, but in areas in which the houses are scattered this number is likely to be excessive.The appropriate number of chaukidars to be entertained can be decided after local enquiry; the main determining factors are the compactness of the village sites, their proximity to one another or otherwise and the prevalence of crime. It is most undesirable that the number of chaukidars employed should be regulated by a calculation of averages and by a comparison with standards only.
