Beef up probe arm, raise conviction rate: Rajnath to Delhi Police

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday told Delhi Police to beef up its investigation and increase conviction rate in crimes committed in the city.

Chairing a review meeting of the Delhi Police here, Singh also asked them to bring about a perceptional change and increase visibility on the ground, with senior officers leading the patrol in sensitive areas.

The Home Ministry has already sanctioned 4,227 posts (Sub-Inspector/ Assistant Sub-Inspector 1,409; Head Constable 1,409; and Constable 1,409) for separation of crime investigation and law and order functions.

Emphasising the need to bring about a perceptional change in the functions and responsibilities of police personnel among the citizens of the city, the Home Minister asked the police to have a hassle-free and citizen-friendly interface with the public.

He, however, told the police to adopt a "zero tolerance" attitude for traffic violations and called for deployment of more women in PCR vans.

Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik said the process to create a cadre of investigative officers is underway. He also said that 33 per cent women are being inducted in all ongoing recruitments while their representation in the force is already much higher than the sanctioned strength.

Singh said senior officers should lead patrolling parties, especially in sensitive areas of the city, and the force needs to employ latest technology in achieving policing objectives.

He appreciated that in an online survey, more than 75 per cent of 944 distress callers in Delhi have given positive feedback about the force.

Lauding the relentless efforts of the Delhi Police to improve law and order in the national capital, Singh expressed satisfaction that heinous crimes in the capital have dropped from 10,266 cases in 2014 to 6,527 last year.

Rajnath Singh said a scientific assessment and evaluation of the CCTV camera requirements for the city should be carried out.

The Delhi Police has undertaken installation of CCTVs at 10 police stations on a pilot basis which will subsequently be implemented in the remaining 184 police stations.

Also, the Delhi Police plans to install 10,000 CCTV cameras at public places for women's safety of which nearly 4,000 are in place. Besides, more than two lakh such cameras have been installed by the public under the "Nigehban" scheme.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and senior officers of Delhi Police and Home Ministry were present at the meeting.

--IANS

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