Five all-women police control room vans are set to hit Delhi’s roads in the coming days.
Fifteen women personnel – five drivers, five ‘gunmen’ and five van in-charges, are already undergoing test runs on the capital’s roads, said police.
The women PCR personnel, who were selected a month back from a batch of 160, have undergone an extensive training programme at the PCR training school in north Delhi’s Model Town.
“All the 160 women have completed 60 periods of driving lessons. Each period comprises two hours of driving classes,” said a senior Delhi police officer posted at the PCR unit. Apart from driving, the women PCR personnel are also trained to handle and operate different types of firearms.
“These women trainees have undergone musketry in which they are taught how to operate sophisticated weapons. They have also been taught about Indian law,” the officer added.
The women are trained to operate Glock pistols, MP-5 submachine guns and 9 mm pistols.
The five drivers are deployed in five PCR vans and are on test runs under the supervision of a senior PCR van operator for the past one month.
Each PCR van carry three police personnel — a driver, a van-in charge and a gunman.
“Next week they are expected to get formally inducted as PCR drivers, gunmen, and van in-charges. A total of 15 women PCR operators will be inducted,” the officer said.
For the first few months, these PCR vans will be stationed at five locations in New Delhi district.
“Initially, these vans will be deployed outside Vigyan Bhawan, Jesus and Mary College, American Center on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, outside Khan Market Metro station and Motilal Nehru Marg. Gradually we will spread them all over the city,” said the officer.
Claiming that the project was born out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s women empowerment mission, Delhi Police officers said that with woman personnel in PCR vans, girls and women will now approach them without hesitation. “Sometimes, women in distress hesitate to inform about their problem to the PCR vans thinking that male personnel might be less sensitive towards their issues. With this initiative they will openly speak to the PCR operators,” the officer added.
“In general also we have observed that people are more receptive and open to a female cop, compared to a male one,” he said.