Delhi Police

History

Delhi Police has its origin in a small security force, established in 1854, under the assistant of British Resident to the Mughal Imperial Courts. Founded in 1861 after the adoption of the Indian Police Act, Delhi Police remained a part of the Punjab Police until India gained independence in 1947.

Organisation

Before 1948 Delhi was part of Punjab Police.

1948-1966

In 1948, Delhi police was restructured. Mr D.W. Mehra became first chief of Delhi Police. Strength of Delhi police in 1951 was about 8,000 with one Inspector General of Police (IGP) and eight Superintendents of Police (SP). In 1956 a post of Deputy Inspector General of Police was created. In 1961, the strength of Delhi police was over 12,000.

In 1966, the Delhi Police on the basis of the Khosla Commission Report was reorganised. Four Police districts, namely, North, Central, South and New Delhi were created. In 1978, the Delhi Police Act was passed and the Commissioner System was introduced with effect from 1 July 1978.

J.N. Chaturvedi (October 1978-Jan 1980), with rank of IGP, became first Commissioner of Delhi Police.

Impact of Sixth Central Pay Commission

Following the Sixth Central Pay Commission the UPA Government, in 2008, decided to make promotions for Indian Police Service officers, even for higher ranks, time bound. Indian Police Service officers are now promoted on fixed time table, more or less independent of functional requirements or span of responsibility, up to the level of Inspector Generals of Police, at intervals of 4, 9, 13, 14, and 18 years of service. The time bound promotion, much of it non functional, to high ranks apart from increasing the burden on the policing budget has made Delhi Police top heavy, sluggish, and unwieldy. Delhi Police, which had one Inspector General (IG) till Jan 1980s, now has 12 officers with ranks senior to IGPs. They are called Commissioners and Special commissioners, who are in the HAG grades and apex pay grades. In addition Delhi police, instead of one IGP, has several dozen IGPs, as every one gets to be IGP after completion of 18 years service. New IG's functions and responsibilities are no different from that of pre-1980s DIGs and Superintendents of police (SPs).

Current Organisation

Delhi Police, in 2015, had 6 Ranges, 11 Police Districts, 54 Sub-Divisions with 181 Police Stations (161 Territorial, 2 IGI Airport, 5 Railways Stations, 8 Metro Stations and 5 Specialised Crime Units declared as Police Stations namely, Economic Offenses Wing, Crime Branch, Special Cell, Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC) and Vigilance).

Headquarters

Delhi Police is divided into twelve branches under the Commissioner of Delhi Police or CP. The main four among the branches, each under a Special Commissioner of Police (Special CP), are:

Special CP (Administration) The Special CP Administration has three Joint Commissioner of Police under him and two Additional CP's. One of them is responsible for Headquarters. Every Joint CP and Additional CP has a DCP under him. The CP responsible for Headquarters is in charge of Public Relations and has a Public Relation Officer (PRO) under him.

Special CP (Training) The Special CP has a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) answering to him. The Vice-Principal of Police Training College (P.T.C) answers to the DCP.

Special CP (Security) The Special CP Security has three Joint CP's working under him. Each of them has an Additional CP under him. The Additional CP gives orders to the CP's of each Police Battalion

Special CP (Intelligence) The Special CP Intelligence has a Joint CP and an Additional CP working under him. The Additional CP gives orders to an Additional CP and to the F.R.R.O section. He is responsible for registration of foreigners in the Delhi Police region. The Additional CP has a DCP working under him. There is an Additional DCP under the DCP.

In addition to the above officers there are Special CP (Law & Order), Special CP (Crime), Special CP (Traffic) & Special CP (Special Cell).

Ranks

In year 2015, Delhi Police (DP) under Commissioner of Police Mr B.S. Bassi had 8 Special CP's, 20 Joint CP's and 15 Additional CP's followed by other sub-ordinates. The hierarchy in DP is as follows.

( It is also a man who is responsible for implication of all the orders and rules in the field and interact with the man in the street).

Note: In Delhi Police while IPS gets a timely promotion to perform his Duty, A constable who is an executive to perform all the field duties merely gets his first promotion in 25 years of service on seniority basis. That is why a common man interacts with an irritate police constable most of the time.

Training

Since 1984, DP Training College is located in the village of Jharoda Kalan and Wazirabad, Delhi .

Roles and Responsibilities

Delhi is the capital of India and is the centre of wide range of political, cultural, social and economic activities. The Delhi police has to play a number of roles so far maintenance of law and order is concerned. The Delhi Police undertakes the following activities:

Delhi Police is considered to be having the most advanced administrative system in India. It believes in the principle of 'Citizen First'. Traffic control is very important in order to avoid accidents and in this field Delhi police is taking strong measures to assure safety to the people.

Delhi Police and VIP security

Out of a total Delhi police strength of 77,965, in 2016, over 20,000 personnel or over 25 percent, were assigned to secure VVIPs in Delhi. Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma, arguing that 20,000 police force earmarked for VIP security was inadequate pitched for increasing earmarked Delhi Police for VVIP security from 20,000 to 22, 500.

Alok Kumar Verma said he will give the "utmost priority" to get government to sanction the increase in police deployment for VVIP duties. He is expected to play the Terror threat card to get the extra 2250 police personnel, citing Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA ), Intelligence Bureau, and Delhi police’s special bureau threat assessments. The increase in Police strength for VVIP security will increase the deployment of police personnel per VIP from 17 to 19, and Police Deployment for VIP security from 25 percent to almost one third [28.8 percent] of its total strength.

The demand for increasing Police strength for Securing Delhi’s VIP, at considerable cost, is against the background of worsening law and order situation in the rest of the city, especially the more deprived areas of the city of some 19 million people.

Delhi Police Organisation for VVIP security

In addition Delhi Police deploys 79 Police Control Room Vehicles (Static and semi-static) in Lutyens' Delhi, where most of Delhi’s VVIP live. 24 are exclusively for Members of Parliament (MPs). In addition Delhi Police provides static pickets, motor cycle patrol, and foot patrol, on 24 hour basis, including 39 static pickets, 17 motorcycle police patrols, and five Emergency Response Vehicles mounted patrols. The high police presence is supplemented with surveillance devices: 230 Close Circuit Television Cameras are located in North Avenue, South Avenue, MS MP flats, Narmada Apartment, Brahmaputra Apartment and Swarn Jayanti Complex. This is in addition to 412 CCTVs are installed at various roads leading to ministers and MP’s residences in Lutyens’ Delhi.

Intelligence Bureau and VIP Security Cover

The Intelligence Bureau and the Ministry of Home Affairs (India) (MHA) are responsible for identifying and nominating person deserving police protection. The level of police protection is decided by the Home Minister and the home Secretary. There are four categories of protection or security cover: Z+, Z, Y, and X. Who will get what category of security cover is decided by Security Categorization Committee (SCC) — headed by the home secretary.

Armed Police protection to those designated as deserving protection by MHA is provided by personnel drawn from central paramilitary forces under the home ministry such as the National Security Guard (NSG), CRPF, BSF, ITBP and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). In 2006 the CISF was mandated to raise a Special Security Group (SSG) for VIP security. The SSG unit in CISF came into being on 17.11.2006. This unit is responsible physical protection of the highly threatened dignitaries/ individuals, evacuation of the Protected Persons and for providing static as well as mobile security to the Protected Persons".

In addition to the MHA and the Intelligence Bureau, Delhi Police Commissioner is also authorized to extend police protection on the basis of reports by the Special Bureau of Delhi police.

In 2012, during the tenure of the Congress(I) led government, Intelligence Bureau nominated 332 persons for protection; in 2016, under the BJP led NDA government, the number of people identified by Intelligence Bureau and MHA for police protection shot up to 454. A spokesperson of the MHA dismissed allegations that the list of persons given police protection is prepared arbitrarily. He said, "The number of protectees keeps changing depending on reports and inputs received from the security agencies. " Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s predecessor Sushil Kumar Shinde, had explained that the persons nominated for protection "Only on the basis of recommendations from the Intelligence Bureau (IB)…We don’t do it on our own," The current list includes nine expelled Congress MLAs from Uttarakhand who revolted against Harish Rawat and joined the BJP on 18 May 2016 . It includes the name of BJP’s Kisan Morcha chief Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Umesh Kumar, a journalist, who carried out a sting on chief minister Rawat.

In 2016 in Delhi categories of security cover was : 42 Z+, 55 Z ; 72 Y (threat); 143 Y (Positional); 67 X category, 19 security under discretion of Commissioner of Police . Delhi police is responsible for providing security cover to 66.

VIP Security Cost

G.P. Singh, additional secretary (home), In Delhi Government, informed the supreme Court that Delhi spent Rs 341 crores (2012–13)on VIP security, including Rs 38 crore (approximately) for security cover in Rashtrapati Bhavan allotted in 2012-13. He added that "security was provided to dignitaries keeping in view both their status and threat perception". According to an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, Delhi provides security cover to "376 central and 83 local protectees", i.e., at the cost to the tax payer of 1 crore per head. Overall 8,049 personnel were involved in security to VIPs; 3,448 in crime prevention and investigation; 63,985 personnel maintaining law and order; and 5,847 in traffic duties

Crime in Delhi

'Heinous crime' in Delhi, in 2014, according to government statistics, increased by 157.13 percent from 3268 in 2013, to 8403 in 2014: Murder is up 7.4 percent from 416 to 447 ; Attempted murder by 36.11 percent from 457 to 622; Rape by 37.64 percent from 1230 to 1693; Burglary by 239.20 percent, from 2352 to 7978; and robbery by 429 percent. Neither the Government or the Police Commissioner gave explanation for the spurt in crime.

Helplines

Delhi Police has Helpline numbers through which people can seek help without going to the police station in person. The various Helpline numbers of Delhi Police are as follows;

Delhi Police has also launched the facility of registering Online FIR from February 2014.

Controversies

Over the years, Delhi Police has been involved in a series of controversies; ranging from custodial deaths, refusal to write First Information Report, inaction or collusion with arsonists during communal riots. At various times, Delhi Police has been found to be harsher on criminals which has caused it to get warnings from the Supreme Court of India and Central Bureau of Investigation.

Delhi Police has often been reported as one of the most corrupt police forces in the country, with the highest number of complaints in the Indian Police Services being registered against its personnel.

1984 Riots

In 1984, over 2000 Sikhs were singled out and killed in Delhi, following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister, on 31 October 1984. Sections of the Delhi police were, according to inquiry reports, complicit in the killings along with the Central Bureau of Investigation. Many Delhi police officers abdicated authority and looked on while the rioting and targeted killing went on for three days. Afterwards evidence was destroyed and tampered. No police officer was tried or convicted. The Police Commissioner during this period was SC Tandon, IPS. The Home Minister was P. V. Narasimha Rao.

Weapons Inventory

All the equipment for the Delhi Police are manufactured indigenously by the Indian Ordnance Factories controlled by the Ordnance Factories Board, Ministry of Defence, Government of India.

Vehicles

SWAT Commandos

Were formed in 2009 in wake of 26/11,they saw action first in 2010 Commonwealth Games,they were tasked with protection duties. They are trained on the lines of National Security Guard. All the commandos are under 28 years of age thus, making them fit and capable tasks meant for commandos. Their main work is to fight against any terrorist attack if occurs in Delhi NCR. They have been trained exclusively in Krav Maga. Delhi was one of the first city to get SWAT force Delhi. SWAT team members will function under the elite Special Cell. The SWAT is provided with various state-of-art equipment and latest technology. Weapons used-