Unique ID cards for city cops to check imposters
You will soon be able to check whether the khaki-clad man asking for your vehicle's registration papers at a desolate check-point actually belongs to the Delhi Police.
You will soon be able to check whether the khaki-clad man asking for your vehicle's registration papers at a desolate check-point actually belongs to the Delhi Police.
A month after they were issued laminated photo ID cards, more than 77,000 Delhi Police officers have now been issued identification cards that cannot be forged.
Twenty specialised card readers have been installed at various locations both at the Delhi Police's district offices and at their headquarters to authenticate them.
"The cards and the software governing them have been created by a Pune-based company. They cannot be duplicated as they are fitted with unique microchips that contain all the data about the officers to whom they have been issued," said a senior Delhi Police officer associated with the project.
The Delhi Police believe that the new cards will not only help the force keep a tab on its officers but will also help check impersonation cases.
"There have been several cases where unsuspecting people have been duped by criminals posing as police officers with fake ID cards. To remedy this, we are considering setting up readers where even citizens will be able to verify the identity of officers if required," the officer said.
While a 35-year-old car showroom manager was robbed by three persons impersonating Delhi Police officers at Dhaula Kuan on September 26, a 48-year-old grandmother was mugged in south Delhi's Tughlakabad in a similar manner a fortnight later.
"In the near future, card readers to authenticate police IDs will be installed at various locations such as security checkpoints on the streets. The average Delhiite will have the liberty to ask the officer checking his vehicle to authenticate his own identity first before following his instructions," said a representative of Bilcare Research - the company assisting the Delhi Police with the initiative.