Things are going to get tougher for your not-so-friendly neighbourhood policeman in the new year — for every fake patrolling, late arrival on a crime scene or missing early morning court dates, he will be pinned. How? His bosses will issue walkie-talkies fitted with GPS (global positioning system) to turn every policeman into a blimp on the computer screen back in the office.

The sets will track officers — from beat constables to personal operators of assistant commissioners posted at sub-divisions — on screens set up at the office of the district’s deputy commissioner.

“It will now be possible to verify whether a beat officer is conducting a probe as he claims, instead of sleeping till late or preferring to have lunch at home,” said an officer.

Complained a policeman: “What if a crime spot happens to be near my house? Will I now be asked to justify my geographical position instead of conducting my investigation?”

One of his colleagues said, “It’s like a dog-collar with a homing device.”

Besides Delhi Police’s 600-strong fleet of GPS-enabled PCR vans, GPS chips have been installed in around 3,400 wireless sets, and 3,600 more will be procured by Delhi Police by the end of the year.

Feeds from each of the 11 police districts will also carry data about the position of policemen carrying these sets to the central police control room at the headquarters.