Police Control Room (PCR) vans in Delhi may soon be brought back under the central control of the Delhi Police headquarters with the force informing the Ministry of Home Affairs that it is looking into the effectiveness of the integration of PCR vans with the policing districts.
This is the first time such an observation has officially been made since the merger, officials privy to the matter told CNN-News18, suggesting the possibility of a rollback.
The development followed several meetings that were held after the Sultanpuri hit-and-drag case where a 20-year-old woman was run over by a car and dragged for 13 kilometres on January 1. None of the PCR vans in the area were able to locate the car for over two hours.
An internal enquiry into the matter has also highlighted lapses on the part of the PCR staff, who currently fall under the policing districts unlike earlier when these emergency response vehicles were controlled by Central Police Control Room (CPCR) under the Delhi Police headquarters.
Delhi Police Commissioner and senior officers are now mulling bringing these vehicles back under the control of the headquarters. “Several meetings have been held. The basics of this integration and the functioning of PCR vans prior to their merger with districts are being looked into," another officer said, requesting anonymity.
The merger of PCR vans with districts was rolled out by then commissioner Rakesh Asthana who retired on July 31, 2022.
After the integration, that started in September 2021, PCR vans and emergency response vehicles of the Delhi Police came under the control of different police districts. Delhi is divided into 13 policing zones referred to as districts.
Ever since the merger, a number of issues were highlighted in the functioning of the PCR vans. Some of the issues included drastic fall in the visibility of PCR vans on roads, issues with maintenance of these vans in districts, increased response time on distress calls and decreased night patrolling.
However, later, when Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora held a meeting with the operations branch and other senior officers just a few days after assuming charge in August 2022, he was apprised of the feedback on the merger. Following a detailed presentation, Arora had asked for suggestions to improve the functioning of the system.
Hit-&-Drag Case Fallout
The MHA has also directed the Delhi Police to suspend all personnel posted at three PCR vans and two pickets on the night the 20-year-old woman was killed in the national capital after her scooter was hit by a car and she was dragged by the vehicle for 10-12 kilometres.
Officials said the MHA also directed the Delhi Police to serve show-cause notices to the supervisory officers of the PCR vans and police pickets for their alleged dereliction of duties. The action came following a report submitted by an inquiry committee, headed by Special Commissioner Shalini Singh.
The MHA directed the city police to file the chargesheet in the case as soon as possible so the culprits are punished.
The gruesome incident took place at outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala in the early hours of January 1. The victim’s two-wheeler was hit by a car and her body dragged for around 10-12 kilometres from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala.
Five men travelling in the car have been arrested, along with several of their accomplices.
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