Delhi Police the worst of all forces: Crime data

Trigger-happy, aggressive and sometimes appallingly outrageous — Delhi’s policemen, when examined statistically, seem to be the worst among their colleagues in the country. Jatin Anand reports. Evidence

Trigger-happy, aggressive and sometimes appallingly outrageous — Delhi’s policemen, when examined statistically, seem to be the worst among their colleagues in the country.

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With more than 12,000 complaints registered against them last year, figures compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) prove that the Capital’s law enforcement agency is worst among their counterparts deployed in larger and populous states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and even Bihar.

"The number of complaints registered against Delhi Police officers has almost doubled — from 6,614 in the year 2010, it has gone up to 12,805 last year," admitted a senior Delhi Police officer.

And with a drunken Delhi Police constable allegedly molesting a 12-year-old slum dweller on Mandir Marg on February 12, another gunning down a 14-year-old during a wedding function in Mukherjee Nagar a month later and yet another pushing a 66-year-old man to his death in south Delhi’s Dhaula Kuan on March 3, the current year doesn’t seem to promise better figures for the force.

Ironically, Uttar Pradesh, which had recorded 12,119 complaints against its cops during 2010, managed to reduce the number to 11,971 in 2011.

On the other hand, in Madhya Pradesh, the number of complaints against police officers dipped from an alarming 13,620 in 2010 to 10,683 in 2011. In Bihar too, the number of complaints fell from 35 to 22.

Also, Delhi Police sent 532 complaints for departmental enquiry during 2011 as opposed to 294 during 2010. "We are a much larger force in terms of numbers," an officer maintained, attempting to attribute the larger number of complaints to Delhi Police’s ever-expanding ranks of more than 80,000 personnel.

"Besides, when it comes to vigilance, no screening of complaints or complainants is done before registering or investigating then. The fact that more complaints are being registered means that more such cases are being detected and dealt with," the officer added.