24x7 helpdesk at 82 police stations for easy complaints

Next time when you visit a police station in Delhi, do not feel surprised if a policeman asks you “how may I help you” and offers you a glass of water.

In an image make-over initiative, the Delhi police have launched 24x7 “public facilitation desk” at 182 police stations across the city. The desk will assist the visitor to avoid hassles in getting compliant registered at a police station and it will guide the complainant to the concerned police official.

The objective to introduce “public facilitation desk” at each police station is to achieve better connectivity with the public. It is a kind of single window system for visitors to the police station where the visitors will not feel unconformable while visiting any police station in the city. This new help desk, in addition to the existing women help desk, is working like a reception counter at the police station.

“A team comprising of five to six police personnel has been formed at each police station who are dedicated to manage the public facilitation desk round the clock. The members of the team have been trained in soft skills and public dealing by professionals who were hired from different institutions. Many institutes have shown interest in providing training to the policemen at the facilitation desk. If needed, it will be done,” said a senior police official.

This programme is the brainchild of special commissioner of police (law and order, North), SBK Singh. He said that after the successful result of the pilot project of the public facilitation desk, the facility has been launched at all police stations in the city.

“We got positive feedback from the public over facilitation desks launched at 89 police stations under the pilot project. Impressed with the initiative, the Delhi police chief, Alok Kumar Verma, directed all district DCPs to start one-stop desk at all police stations all over the city,” said Mr Singh.

“The policeman on duty at the facilitation desk will politely ask the visitor the purpose of visiting the police station and address his/her grievances patiently and professionally. The idea is to make people feel that they are welcome,” said Mr Singh.