Rajnath conveys concern to Delhi Police over low conviction rates in crimes

New Delhi, Jun 29: Home Minister Rajnath Singh expressed concern over the low conviction rate in crimes committed in the national capital and asked the Delhi Police to strengthen its investigation wing. This was conveyed to the top brass of the Delhi Police by the home minister, who reviewed the functioning of the capital's police force.

The home minister voiced concern over the low conviction rate as compared to other metros - Mumbai and Chennai, and called for steps to strengthen the investigation wing of the force, according to a Home Ministry statement. Singh emphasised the need to bring about a perceptional change among the citizens of the city about the functions and responsibilities of police personnel.

In order to achieve this objective, he stressed the need for police to have a hassle-free and citizen-friendly inter-face with the public, for senior officers to lead patrolling parties, especially in sensitive areas of the city and to employ technology as a force multiplier in achieving policing objectives. The home minister was informed that the Delhi Police has commissioned a crime victimisation survey in May through an independent agency, the Quality Council of India (QCI), which will be conducted soon.

Singh lauded the Delhi Police for achieving a very swift response time to emergencies which compared favourably with the best in the world. With the setting up of a state-of-the-art control room by March next year under the National Emergency Support System (NESS), the response time is set to further improve drastically, the statement said.

The home minister appreciated that more than 75 per cent of 944 distress callers in Delhi have given positive feedback of the police to an online survey. Lauding the relentless efforts of the Delhi Police to improve law and order in the national capital, Singh expressed satisfaction that the heinous crimes in the capital have dropped from a high of 10,266 cases in 2014 to 6,527 last year. The ministry has sanctioned 4,227 posts for the purpose of separation of crime investigation and law and order functions. Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik said the process to create a cadre of investigation officers is underway.

The home minister directed urgent implementation of the National Emergency Support System (NESS). Singh said a scientific assessment and evaluation of the CCTV requirements for the city should be carried out. The Delhi Police has undertaken installation of CCTVs at 10 police stations on a pilot programme which will subsequently be implemented in the remaining 184 police stations. Also, the Delhi Police has plans to install 10,000 CCTVs at public places for women's safety, of which nearly 4,000 are in place.

Besides, more than 2 lakh CCTVs have been installed by the public under the 'Nigehbaan' scheme. Singh said there should be zero tolerance for traffic violations and called for more deployment of women in PCR vans. The Delhi Police chief said 33 per cent women are being inducted in all ongoing recruitment drives while their representation in the force is already much higher than the sanctioned strength, the statement said.

PTI