India’s first all-woman SWAT team gets cracking, to secure Independence Day function

The elite women commandos, hailing from north-eastern states, will be deployed at strategic locations for securing the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. Union minister Rajnath Singh presided over the induction ceremony on Friday.

Delhi Police on Friday inducted an all-woman Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team comprising 36 commandos, the first-ever by any police force in India, for anti-terrorist operations. The elite women commandos, hailing from north-eastern states, will be deployed at strategic locations for securing the upcoming Independence Day celebrations.

Members of India’s first ever all-women SWAT team demonstrate their skills during an induction programme in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI photo)

Presiding over the induction ceremony, Union home minister Rajnath Singh expressed happiness that the Delhi Police launched raised an all-woman SWAT team. “They will be deployed during the upcoming Independence Day celebrations,” he said.

“The 36 women SWAT commandos have undergone a rigorous 15-month training programme that includes basic, commando and advanced honing of skills under the tutelage of National Security Guard trainers. Delhi Police have raised the commandos for anti-terrorism duty under the special cell unit of the force,” said Singh.

The minister asked Delhi Police to play a lead role in combating terror, and exhorted them to become a role model for police forces from other states and union territories. “The practices adopted by Delhi Police should be among the best practices of police,” he said.

He inaugurated the office of the deputy commissioner of police (Southwest district), Delhi Cantt police station and the Delhi Police residential complex on Friday, stating that the “construction of new complexes strengthen the basic infrastructure of the department and provide personnel with new energy to fulfill their duties”.

Singh said that society has a lot of expectations from the Delhi Police, and it needs a modern workplace and a good working environment to meet them. The government has increased fund allocation for the Delhi Police from ₹6,378.18 crore in 2017-18 to ₹7,426.98 crore in 2018-19 – an increase of 15 per cent – to ensure this, he added.

He said the government has also sanctioned procurement of the Facial Recognition System for the Crime Unit and 2,700 hand-held devices with SIM card for equipping constables with e-beatbooks.

The Union home minister said that a proposal for the recruitment of 12,000 additional personnel in the Delhi Police is under consideration, and approval has already been granted for 3,139. The government also created 4,227 posts in 2016, and crime investigation has been separated from law-and-order functions with an aim to improve the conviction rate, he said.

Lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, Delhi police commissioner Amulya Patnaik and other senior officers were present on the occasion.

(With IANS inputs)