Spl Branch officers to keep tab on activities at dist, police stn levels
New Delhi: Delhi Police Special Branch personnel, tasked with intelligence gathering, will now "keep a watch" on their colleagues at the district and police station levels to strengthen its local divisions, sources said.
The surveillance will also ensure more focused policing and broad-based intelligence gathering, they said.
Citing an order issued last month, the sources said that from now, personnel attached with the Special Branch, in addition to their current mandate, will collect information at the police station level on organised crime, illegal construction and narcotic sale, among others, besides keeping a tab on informants and checking for complicity of the local police.
"Officials of the Special Branch will now have added responsibilities, besides their own work profile. They will have to also keep a watch on district and police station level. This is to further strengthen the intelligence unit," a source said referring to the order issued by the unit.
Tasks will also involve monitoring police control room (PCR) calls and visiting crime scenes including those of cases of murder, attempt to murder, riot and armed robbery, the sources said, adding that checking cases of illegal encroachment and grabbing of public and disputed land, will be part of responsibilities.
The area officers attached with the Special Branch have been "strictly" warned not to reproduce local police reports but to carry out independent inquiries and assess situations to provide individual updates to their seniors, according to the order, the source said. They have to submit a detailed report to their seniors every week for analysis.
Special Branch personnel have been instructed to be alert and vigilant while monitoring PCR calls, particularly those informing of firing incidents, stone pelting, communal flare ups, sexual assault and incidents related to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, they said.
They have been directed to gather information in advance on protests, meetings and programmes which require local police deployment and traffic arrangements, the
sources said.
"Personnel of the Special Branch have also been asked to provide prima-facie and follow-up intelligence on calls (reporting instances) that could have a bearing on the law and order situation in the local area," the source said.
Delhi has two police zones, with a minimum of seven districts under each zone.
The zones have been instructed to maintain electronic records, do advance reporting on issues sensitive and communal in nature, and maintain an updated list of troublemakers along with a district-wise break of "communal" leaders, the
sources said.
The list should also have names of those who may or may not have a criminal record but are "influencers", they said.
Besides these, the zones have also been asked to maintain a proper record of murders and crimes, including rape, that might cause communal tension, and their implication on law and order in a particular area.
