Give proper attention to crimes against women, missing children cases: CP to senior officers

new delhi: Days after the gangrape of a teenage Dalit woman in Hathras, Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava has directed senior officers in the Capital to prioritise cases of crimes against women and missing children, adding that each police station should have an action plan designed to minimise criminal incidents in their respective areas.

Sources aware of the meeting held on September 19 said that the direction came in a meeting held days after the Hathras gangrape. "Our efforts should be geared up towards the prevention of undesirable situations rather than reacting to them and we must make a sincere endeavour to improve our functioning every single day," he is learnt to have told senior officers at the meeting.

The police chief also directed that a detailed action plan should be prepared for each police station with the objective of improving the management of the police station and for minimising criminal incidents in

the area.

"This should include aspects like — specific steps for prevention, detection of crime based on various relevant parameters, strict check on organised crime, proper investigation of cases including backward and forward linkages, timely disposal of cases, proper attention to cases related to women and missing children, preventive action against criminals in the area," he said.

Delhi Police has six ranges across 15 districts, which have 71 sub-divisions, and 209 police stations, including 178 territorial stations, seven railway unit police stations, 16 Metro unit police stations, two at IGIA and six specialised units.

The top cop said district DCPs should step up action to trace the missing children. "There was also one direction that staff deployed in police stations for investigation purposes should not be used for routine law and order arrangements," sources said.

As per the NCRB's data, last year about 7,565 cases of crimes against children were reported in Delhi — 35.3 per cent of total such crimes in 19 cities with a population above two million. As for crimes against women, Delhi reported 12,902 cases last year — accounting for 28 per cent of total such cases in these cities.

Deputy Commissioners of Police were also told to establish robust equipment and high speed, reliable internet connection in video conference rooms. Earlier this year, the Delhi Police had asked its officers to prepare a separate room in each district where complainants can interact with the concerned Deputy Commissioner of Police through video conferencing instead of being in the same physical

space.

In September, Shrivastava had said that Delhi Police had devised a mechanism to redress public grievances even during COVID-19 by hearing complainants over video conference (VC). He said that all DCsP and above, including him, will entertain meeting requests through Email, telephone and notify date, time and place for VC.