The idea came from Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma, it is learnt. The process of selecting investigating officers for the training will begin next year.
Come 2017 and the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), which has trained generations of actors and filmmakers, will begin teaching Delhi Police personnel how to wield the camera for that perfect shot. And no, it's not for an alternate career in showbiz but so they can hone their investigation skills and better monitor the sprawling city under their watch.
The idea came from Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma, it is learnt. The process of selecting investigating officers for the training will begin next year.
The Delhi Police have written to the Pune-based institute, which falls under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, stating that they wanted their investigating officers to be trained in videography and photography as it will help them record evidence properly. FTII has also responded expressing its willingness to train the men in khaki.
Sources said heightened threat perception has forced Delhi Police to prepare its personnel for untoward incidents and that needs specialisation. The force has started videographing tactical locations and establishments, including Parliament House, malls and markets.
In the first phase, the Delhi Police are working on a video-walk of around 40 vital installations such as the National Museum, South and North Blocks, DRDO headquarters, residence of the British high commissioner, vice-president's house and various government offices like Shastri Bhavan. A video camera team comprising police officials will record the topography inside and outside the buildings. And they have decided not to depend on amateurs.
"We cannot depend on private people where national security is concerned. We are getting our men trained and making them specialists," a senior police official told DNA.
Besides, he explained, the city also witnesses thousands of demonstrations, processions, strikes and rallies. "All of them are videographed and photographed. It's a herculean task." In 2015, for instance, the force managed 2,259 demonstrations, 4,727 dharnas, 914 processions, 1,943 public meetings, 303 rallies and 1,010 other protests.
Furthermore, around 200,000 cases are registered every year. In 2015, 191,377 cases were registered and 180,910 cases have been filed till November 15, this year, amounting to an average of 555 incidents of crime each day. Of this, 43 are crimes against women and 24 are heinous crimes.
In most cases, the investigating officers have to take pictures and video-graph the crime spots as well as statements from witnesses and the accused. This needs a professional approach for which training must be given, an official said.
There are crime teams in 11 police districts. "They reach the spot and collect minute details from the spot. The ill-equipped crime teams are not trained and just click pictures and shoot videos from a mini camera. It is a very unprofessional approach," he said.
This results in hazy pictures from crime and accident spots which hinders the probe. "Kaam chal jaata hai (We just about manage)," is how an SHO put it when asked how they manage without either proper equipment or the requisite know-how.
But this lackadaisical attitude just might end with the FTII's intervention.
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