New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha has expressed serious concern over a growing trend within the department of not converting crime incidents reported to the Police Control Room (PCR) into First Information Reports (FIRs) in an attempt to project lower crime rates.

According to sources, during a recent weekly crime review meeting, Commissioner Golchha noted that several PCR calls regarding crimes were being “burped” or dismissed without being formally registered as FIRs. The top cop issued strict instructions that such practices aimed at reducing official figures will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

To curb this manipulation, the Commissioner announced a set of corrective measures. One of these is the strengthening of the PCR Unit’s feedback process, under which officers will now take direct feedback from the complainant who made the PCR call to ensure follow-up action.

The Police Commissioner has also directed that adequate manpower be provided to the PCR unit to improve monitoring and accountability.

Additionally, the “Green Sheet” mechanism, which enables cross-verification of PCR call complaints with FIRs registered at police stations, will now be closely monitored every morning. Any discrepancy found between the two records will be immediately flagged to senior officers for strict action.

An officer who attended the meeting revealed that there has been a significant shortfall in converting PCR call complaints into FIRs, with many complaints being suppressed at the district level.

While the Green Sheet has been in use for some time, police officials believe that additional checks and new mechanisms are now needed to ensure transparency. The department is currently exploring fresh measures to address the issue, and the number of staff in the PCR unit will also be increased.

A similar trend has reportedly been observed in cybercrime cases. To improve accountability, starting November 1, registration of an FIR has been made mandatory in all cyber-related complaints involving financial cheating of more than Rs 1 lakh.

According to a senior officer, the issue of under-reporting has been discussed in the last two consecutive weekly meetings. During the most recent session, Commissioner Golchha presented comparative data of PCR calls and FIR registrations, seeking explanations from district officers for the discrepancies.

The officIAL added that the frequent crimes and encounters in the national capital not being reflected accurately in official statistics clearly indicate that Delhi Police’s recorded data does not present the true picture of crime in the city.

–IANS

ravi/pgh