Women to comprise 25% of Delhi Police by 2025: Rakesh Asthana

New Delhi: Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana on Wednesday said that the merger of PCR with police stations has brought down the average response time from around eight minutes to over three minutes.

He also stated that in pursuance of the directives of the government of India, there should be 33 per cent women in police force and the strength of women in the Delhi Police is rising in successive recruitments.

"We are working on that and hopefully by 2025, it will be 25 per cent which is 13 per cent right now," Asthana said during an interaction with around 50 journalists at Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC).

The merger of PCR with police stations has not only bolstered the strength of police stations with augmentation of around 6,500 PCR personnel, but also considerably enhanced police visibility with more vehicles patrolling the local beats. The merger has brought down the average response time from seven to eight minutes to 3.7 minutes, he said.

The Delhi Police is committed to make all efforts to ensure that women feel and remain safe in the city. Shadow areas are being identified for placement of more force there and in future integrated police booths would be constructed to enhance police presence in such areas, Asthana said.

During the interactive session, he reiterated that crime against women and children remain one of the top priorities of the Delhi Police.

A total of six women Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs), eight women Additional DCPs, eight women Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) and nine women Staion House Officers (SHOs) have been assigned important field assignments as a step of women empowerment in the force, he said.

There is a separate crime against women (CAW) cell in each district, besides the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC) to deal with complaints and cases related to women, the commissioner said.