The President of India Droupadi Murmu has approved the award of the President’s Police Colour to Chandigarh Police, the highest national recognition for a police force. The honour comes days before the force completes 60 years on November 1.The approval was conveyed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (Police-I Division) in a confidential letter dated October 26 to the Chief Secretary, Chandigarh, a copy of which is with The Tribune. The letter refers to the UT Administration’s communications of July 14 and September 28, 2026. It states that the President “is pleased to approve the proposal” for the award, “as proposed”. A copy was marked to the UT’s Director General of Police.Why Chandigarh qualifiedThe Administration’s proposal presented the force’s record across operations, technology, public service and welfare.Service record: The force, reorganised on November 1, 1966, has won one gallantry medal, 20 President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service, 108 for Meritorious Service and 52 UN Medals. It received the FICCI Smart Policing Award in 2017 and the KIGA Award in 2019, and ranked first nationally in speedy passport verification in 2023-24.Law and order: The proposal says the police managed 60,501 law-and-order events since 2009, including 2,582 in 2025, with no untoward incident reported during their management. Major events included the Rose Festival (over 1 lakh attendees) and the National Craft Mela (over 50,000).Technology: The Command and Control Centre, inaugurated on July 30, 2022, runs a network of 2,085 CCTV cameras linked to adaptive traffic signals and automatic number-plate recognition. CCTNS is in force at all police stations, and e-Beat in all 16 law-and-order stations. CenCOPS, set up on December 12, 2023, handles cyber operations and digital forensics. The 112 emergency response averages 4 minutes 33 seconds.Training: The proposal records 239 workshops over five years for 11,572 participants. It says Chandigarh Police was the first State/UT to complete implementation of the three new criminal laws, effective July 1, 2024.Community and welfare: It cites 600 Student Police Cadets from 15 schools, weekly Samvedna Camps for public grievances, and welfare measures covering health, insurance and scholarships for personnel and families.’Proud moment’: UT Administrator Gulab Chand KatariaPunjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria told The Tribune: “This is a proud moment for Chandigarh, its people and its police. The Colour is a testimony to the force’s outstanding performance in every field, from crime prevention and detection to law and order, besides public and police welfare.”’Honour for all’: DGPDGP Dr Sagar Preet Hooda told The Tribune: “Our motto is ‘We Care for You’, and this honour belongs to every man and woman in uniform who lives by it. It is a proud moment for the force as it turns 60.”What is the President’s Police Colour?A ceremonial standard presented in the name of the President of India to a police forceRecognises exemplary service to the nation and the publicCarried by the force on ceremonial occasions and paradesReflects the collective record of the entire force, not individual gallantry or service medals