HC for division of cop duties

The Delhi High Court has said separating the law and order duties of Delhi Police from crime detection and investigation will help improve the Capital’s security mechanism.

The Delhi High Court has said separating the law and order duties of Delhi Police from crime detection and investigation will help improve the Capital’s security mechanism.

A bench of acting Chief Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru, seeking the home ministry’s view on the matter by August 22, observed that if the wings were separated, many criminals will not get away and the law and order situation will also improve.

The court said if the duties were divided, one team of the police can go to the spot as well as maintain law and order in the event of any incident.

The other team, meanwhile, can begin investigation without wasting any time.

Latest Delhi Police statistics show crime incidents are rising sharply in the capital.

Several panels and the Supreme Court itself had earlier suggested the separation of investigation from law and order duties for the better functioning of the police and increased security in the capital.

The court’s order came after Dayan Krishnan — the special public prosecutor appointed for the December 16 Delhi gang rape case — said the police had used scientific methods to probe the incident.

“Why don’t you apply the scientific method in all other cases? Do you think the law and order situation has improved in the city? Why cannot investigation be separated?” the bench asked Krishnan.

Krishnan told the court that the matter was in the Centre’s hands.

On April 25, the court had criticised the police for the alarming increase in incidents of rape in the Capital and blamed the spurt in the crime graph on the failure to take timely proactive steps.

The court had also said the “most shocking fact was that after each incident, there was total sluggishness on the part of the police in recording complaints and taking action”.

The bench is monitoring policing in the Capital after taking suo motu cognizance of the December 16 gang rape case.