PCRs will now help victims on the spot

This one move by Delhi police may end up saving many lives. No more will one have to face policemen in PCR vans, at an accident spot or a crime scene, directing you to call the police helpline number first and only then will some help come. Faizan Haider reports.

This one move by Delhi police may end up saving many lives. No more will one have to face policemen in PCR vans, at an accident spot or a crime scene, directing you to call the police helpline number first and only then will some help come.

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Under its initiative called 'self call', all police personnel have been directed to intervene immediately by calling the police helpline from their own phone and control the situation. The current practice was that PCR personnel would tell the victim/witnesses to call the PCR of their jurisdiction for help even though they are present at the spot.

"There were complaints that PCR men don't react unless they get a call from the police control room. Normally, a person sitting in the control room directs PCR vans to go to the spot, but there have been instances when the crime was happening right next to where a PCR van was parked but they waited for a call from the control room," said a senior police officer.

"We have asked our men not to wait for the call from the control room and to react if they see anything happening," he added.

The PCR staff is supposed to maintain a register of how many times they reacted on their own to various situations.

"We will take strict action if the PCR staff doesn't respond. The common man should know this and in case the PCR staff is refusing to help, they can call on 100 and lodge a complaint. We will conduct an inquiry against such staff," the officer added.

Once a call is made to the PCR, the operator takes details of the caller and assesses the nature of the call. The details are then forwarded to the communication wing, which coordinates with a PCR van nearest to the spot.