(a)All dafadars and chaukidars shall give immediate intimation by telegram or the next quickest available method to the nearest police-station, about the likelihood of riots, the intention to commit heinous crime, the presence of suspicious characters, the occurrence of serious crimes, such as murder, dacoity, rioting with murder, robbery, drugging and the like, all other cases in which they consider that immediate intimation should be conveyed to the police. They shall also use the telegraph freely for the purpose of preventing the escape of absconders.(b)The object of sending telegrams is threefold. In the first place, on receipt of a telegram, the investigating officer will reach the place of occurrence with the least possible delay, and will thus have the opportunity of preventing riots and heinous offences ; in the second, he will be able to apprehend suspicious characters ; in the third, if the offenders are known to be absconding, and the dafadar or chaukidar can form a conclusion as as to the direction in which they have gone, a telegram sent to a police officer at a police-station, railway station or ghat, giving a description of the man wanted and the offence with which he is charged, may not infrequently be successful in securing his apprehension. Where necessary, telegraphic information can also be sent to a neighbouring dafadar or chaukidar, if, by so doing, it is thought probable that the arrest of an absconder might be effected.(c)It may be desirable to send more than one telegram in certain cases, for instance, if a murder has occurred and the murderer is absconding by rail, the dafadar or chaukidar should send a telegram not only to the officer-in-charge of the police-station within which the crime has been committed, but should also telegraph to the police of the place to which he thinks that the offender may be going, so that he may, if possible, be intercepted. If the dafadar or chaukidar is not sure whether there is a police-station at the place to which the absconder is believed to be going, he should telegraph, to the Superintendent of the District Police or to the Superintendent of the Railway Police.(d)Dafadars and chaukidars are permitted to make use of Government and Railway telegraphs without prepayment for all messages which relate to their police duties. These messages are of two kinds, viz., (i) ordinary telegrams, and (ii) special police telegrams. Special police telegrams shall be sent only in cases of real emergency, but when it is necessary to send a telegram during the hours when a telegraph office is closed, a special police message shall invariably be sent. In such a case, the dafadar or chaukidar shall get his message marked "Special Police," and the telegraph official is bound to accept it at any hour of the day or night. All telegrams shall be marked "State," and when an express message is sent, the words "Special Police," shall be endorsed upon it.(e)Telegrams shall be worded as briefly as possible, and, except in cases where an absconder is to be arrested, shall usually not contain details of names of parties, etc.(f)Officers-in-charge of Government and Railway telegraph offices have been directed to write out on telegraph forms in English any information which a dafadar or chaukidar desires to send by telegram.(g)Dafadars and chaukidars sending messages about the prevention or detection of crime shall give their names, designations and addresses in the body of the telegram. In the space allotted for "signature" (and which will not be signalled), they shall, also give their names, designations and addresses in full, including the name of the police-station and district. A dafadar or chaukidar shall also in all cases affix his left thumb impression to the message. If he is illiterate, he shall see that the above details are entered on his behalf by the writer of the telegram.(h)When proceeding to send a telegram, dafadars, or chaukidars shall wear their uniform, or shall come with their appointment letter, which they shall show to enable the Post and Telegraph Master to identify them.(i)Dafadars and chaukidars are enjoined to use the telegraph freely in connection with the prevention and detection of crime, but they shall remember that the use of the telegraph must be confined strictly to that object, and that the privilege of using the telegraph free of charge does not extend to other subjects.(j)Rewards shall be freely paid to dafadars and chaukidars who send telegrams freely.
