Cops to buy sports bikes to drive criminals away

The Delhi Police wants to match the footsteps, or rather the speed, of the Capital's infamous gangs.

The Delhi Police wants to match the footsteps, or rather the speed, of the Capital's infamous gangs.

Incidents of snatching and the menace of stunt bikers are on a rise in the Capital's roads, and they often leave the police gasping for breath. To curb such gangs, the Delhi Police has decided to acquire Honda CBR, a sports bike, for its patrolling squad.

The Delhi Police used to patrol on Bullet motorcycles. Pulsar bikes were inducted into the patrolling squad later. Acquiring the Honda CBR bikes is the next step in this direction. "This bike can be driven at 150 kmph and also has a better pick up. It will reform the police's image and make offenders fear the law," said a senior police officer.

One of the major concern areas for the police force are the rising incidents of snatching. While 394 such cases were registered between January and April 2012, 684 cases were registered in the same period this year, a rise of 73%.

A study on mode of transport used by the accused revealed that 67% of the snatchers used bike. "Currently our bikes are not in a condition to chase snatchers. Once we have sophisticated bikes, we can chase them and arrest them," the official added.

The Delhi Police are planning to acquire 150 Honda CBR bikes at a price of Rs 1.5 lakh each. The bikes will supplement the already existing fleet of nearly 700 patrol vans in the city.

"We will identify young recruits of constable and Sub Inspector rank and they will be trained to drive these high-speed bikes," the officer further said.

Initially these bikes will be introduced for the police squads in south and New Delhi which include areas such as Nelson Mandela Road, Aurobindo Mark, Sardar Patel Road, India Gate and Outer Ring Road. Focus will be on snatching-prone areas.