Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Delhi Police Headquarters on Tuesday and directed that forensic investigation should be made mandatory in all crimes involving punishment of more than 6 years to increase the conviction rate and to integrate the criminal justice system with forensic science investigation.
Shah also said for offenses of serious nature, chargesheets should be filed by the police only after legal vetting.
Amit Shah had earlier said the government would provide a forensic mobile investigation facility in each district of the country. Shah said the country’s conviction rate would increase only when forensic science evidence is made legal for serious crimes.
Hours after the meeting, Delhi Police issued guidelines for implementation of Shah’s directions.
According to the guidelines, apart from the Delhi Police’s own mobile crime vans in the districts, a forensic mobile van shall be allotted to each district to provide scientific and forensic assistance on the spot to the IOs, whenever any such need arises.
These vehicles shall be fully equipped with scientific tools and a sufficient number of forensic assistants shall be detailed in each van.
These vehicles shall visit the crime scene whenever called by the station house officer (SHO) or the IO of the police station or the Crime Branch or the Special Cell or any other investigating agency of the Delhi Police.
In his meeting with Delhi Police officers, the Home Minister stressed that surveillance was a major component of policing in preventing and investigating crime, according to a press release.
“Hence cameras installed by the civil administration and police in Delhi, as well as CCTV cameras installed in public places like airports, railway stations, bus stands, markets, RWAs, should be integrated with the control room,” Amit Shah said.
With the government determined to free the country from the curse of drugs, Amit Shah said a detailed action plan had been prepared to crack down on narcotics in Delhi.
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“A strategy was prepared to crack down on multi-state criminal gangs operating in the National Capital Region and neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana etc. In the meeting, there was an in-depth discussion on the security arrangements at the G-20 Summit to be held in India,” the statement said.
The Union Home Minister also said that for timely disposal of complaints and for online complaints, a facility should be developed to provide information to the complainant about the status of his complaint.
Shah also felicitated a number of police personnel who won medals during the Commonwealth Games, national-level competitions and in World Police Fire Games.