As a pilot project, PFDs were set up in 30 of the 180 police stations across Delhi in August last year. However, till now, they were manned only by men in uniform.
IN A bid to change the perception of police among the residents of the city and to paint their image as “people-friendly”, Delhi Police has decided to deploy personnel in plain clothes at Public Facilitation Desks (PFDs) across every police station in the city. The order — to deploy an officer, who will not be in his or her uniform and stationed just to look into grievances and update complainants about their pending cases — was issued on August 7, police sources told The Indian Express.
As a pilot project, PFDs were set up in 30 of the 180 police stations across Delhi in August last year. However, till now, they were manned only by men in uniform. After getting feedback from those manning the PFDs till now, Commissioner of Police Amulya Patnaik decided to deploy personnel in civil clothes at the PFDs. It was also decided that PFDs should be set up in every police station, sources said.
As per the recent order, sources said, the officers who will be manning the PFDs will be selected after a thorough interview with a DCP-rank officer designated by the commissioner of police. Special training and orientation will be imparted to the selected officers who should be well-versed with the various aspects of how a police station functions, sources said.
A senior police officer said the decision to deploy officers not in uniform, was taken because “uniforms are a projection of the force”. “It (uniform) also shows your superiority. But it is not required every time as it has been found that people in distress feel more comfortable while talking to officers who are not in uniform,” he said. The personnel posted at the PFDs will have to perform a lot of work — from attending court hearings to registering FIRs, the officer added. The officer deployed will also have to submit a fortnightly report regarding the work done by him.
