Towards smart policing

Earlier this month, Delhi Police merged the PCR unit with the district police and separated law and order and investigation duties. Though the move has been appreciated by officers across ranks, not all police stations have been able to reap its benefits due to inadequate staff

When senior IPS officer Rakesh Asthana joined as Delhi’s Commissioner of Police, one of his first initiatives was to integrate the Police Control Room (PCR) unit with the district police and to separate law and order and investigation teams, to ensure prompt response and increase operational efficiency.

On the ground, the move has been appreciated by officers across ranks, but they believe that for the plan to be successfully implemented, more personnel need to be deployed at police stations that do not have adequate staff.

What does it mean to integrate the PCR unit with the district police? In the earlier set-up, whenever a call was received, a PCR van would reach the spot first but not take necessary legal action till the police station staff arrived. Now, an officer from the police station is attached with the PCR staff at all times. This, in turn, ensures swift action right at the spot without the PCR staff having to wait for personnel from the police station to arrive to take over legal proceedings, if required.