By IANS,
New Delhi : Eyeing the assembly elections by the year-end, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Thursday asked Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal to intensify patrolling to check the increasing crime rate and to instill a sense of security among Delhi’s residents after a series of shootings this month.
Dikshit also stressed the need to bring in more transparency in Delhi Police’s functioning as citizens have the right to know the steps being taken to curb crime.
She directed Dadwal to disseminate fortnightly crime data for citizens’ information.
“This would go a long way in devising a suitable action plan to curb criminal activities,” she noted.
She expressed her concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the capital and a series of shootings this month involving a biker gang.
Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, principal secretary to the chief minister P.K. Tripathi and Principal Secretary (Home) G.S. Patnaik were present at the meeting between Dikshit and Dadwal.
Dadwal briefed Dikshit on the latest situation and told her that patrolling had been intensified.
“Recent incidents have been projecting a bad image of capital city, which is not desirable in any way,” Dikshit stated.
She asked Dadwal to take immediate action and submit a suitable proposal to set up more police stations in the capital, keeping in view the increasing population and influx of daily visitors to Delhi.
“It is essential to reinforce constant vigil on all entry points to Delhi. Moreover, all police personnel should be told to be more vigilant and avoid shifting of responsibilities,” the chief minister stated.
“It is also essential to minimise the response time of police personnel and they should be told to be more courteous and submissive to win the confidence of the people,” she stated.
The chief minister told Dadwal that it was Delhi Police’s responsibility to provide a sense of security and all police personnel should work with dedication and a mission to make Delhi a crime-free state.
Later in the day, Dadwal in a press conference told reporters: “I would like to point out that the crime situation and law and order are under control. There is no increase in the crime graph. In fact, cases of heinous crimes have dropped by eight percent in comparison to last year.”