For the first time, the national capital will have ‘all-women PCR vans’ plying in certain zones, with the department selecting eight female constables as drivers of patrol vehicles. The initiative is likely to be launched by next month and areas around India Gate and south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj have been chosen for running the pilot project, said a senior police official. Later, all-women Police Control Room (PCR) vans can be operated in other zones, including the Delhi University area, based on a thorough analysis of the report prepared after the pilot period, said the official.
“Also, the task of the all-women PCR units will not be confined to keeping check on instances of eve-teasing, harassment, molestation and other form of assaults on women. They shall have to attend to all kind of distress calls,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (PCR) R K Singh. The eight women selected as drivers and a few others who could not make it had applied for the position voluntarily. The selection was done on the basis of the result of a series of tests, said a senior police.”The chosen female officials are also likely to receive incentives for the initiative so that other women in the force are also encouraged,” he said. At present there are around 240 women, including 160 new inductees, in the patrolling unit. They are deployed as either gun-person or in-charge. But there were no all-women PCR vans as none of them could be deployed as drivers, nor did anybody apply voluntarily for the post. Things changed to some extent when Delhi Police made it mandatory for all candidates who apply for a constable’s post to have a driving licence. The eight women selected for the all-women PCR initiative belong to the new batch of 160 inductees, the official added.