Police rolls out first all-women PCR vans

Women police personnel with a newly-launched all-women PCR van at Rajpath in New Delhi on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

The Delhi police launched five all-women PCR cruisers on Friday. These PCRs will be manned by all women staff starting from the driver of the vehicle to I/C van. The all-women PCRs, each with three women personnel, will ply in five primary areas — Vigyan Bhawan, Jesus & Mary College, Khan Market Metro Station, American Centre at Kasturba Gandhi Marg, and Moti Lal Nehru Marg.

One of the women personnel will be the driver of the PCR van while another will carry an MP-5 gun. Delhi police commissioner Alok Kumar Verma flagged off the PCR vans from the police headquarters here. The women personnel have undergone a three-month-training where they were taught driving, firing, and unarmed combat skills.

They were also given behavioural training to tackle complaints from women, said Sanjay Beniwal, special commissioner of police (operations). “The PCR vehicles are the first responders in case of any incident and hence their role is very important. These women personnel have been trained to handle all kinds of distress calls and have undergone a basic medical training,” he added.

At present, there are 20 women police personnel who have been trained for the job and plans are afoot to train more. As of now, they will work one shift from 9 am to 5 pm, said DCP (PCR) R.K. Singh.

“After they are more confident in handling calls, they will be posted in areas that are frequented by women and children. They will be posted around gir-ls’ schools, malls and markets, and around girls’ colleges on North and South Campus,” said Mr Singh.

Though they will be tending to all kinds of calls, their primary focus will be those from women in distress.

The areas where they will be stationed have been identified after a trial run. The personnel, who are a part of a first-of-its-kind initiative by the Delhi police, said they feel proud to be part of such an idea.

There are plans to send them for NSG training so that they can be given commando training and in case a situation arises where they have to chase down a criminal, they can rise to the occasion, an official said. The operations wing is also planning to launch an app that will have a refresher course for women personnel to handle patients in cases of excess blood loss, and carry critically injured persons, said a senior police officer.