Delhi Police and their High Speed Law Enforcement Equipment

Delhi Police and their High Speed Law Enforcement Equipment
Delhi Police Force upgraded their mobility standards after HC order
Delhi Police and their High Speed Law Enforcement Equipment
Delhi Police Force upgraded their mobility standards after HC order

If you’re frequently travelling on any major route of the National Capital region in Delhi jurisdiction, you would be surprised to see what our law enforcers are zipping around on.

Six months ago, the Delhi High court instructed the state Police force to upgrade their mobility standards to higher engine capacity vehicles, with appropriate technological enhancements, to ensure better law enforcement on the National capital region’s roads and state highways. The Police department complied and bought high-powered motorcycles like the 500cc Royal Enfield Thunderbird, 650cc Royal Enfield Interceptor and several 120 BHP Mahindra Scorpio S5 SUVs. They informed the court of their procurement in an official statement this May. Further, the Police Control Room (PCR) vehicles have also got on-board fingerprint scanners, Wi-Fi connectivity, a touchscreen interface with a direct link to HQ, and other modifications. All this is to ensure a rapid emergency response (ER) support system and more efficient policing.

The Delhi government’s standing counsel and advocate confirmed to the court that the police had procured forty-seven Mahindra Scorpio S5 SUVs, twelve Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 motorcycles and twelve Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 motorcycles.

Mahindra Scorpio S5

The Mahindra Scorpio S5 is the fifth variant in the Scorpio line-up. It comes with a 2179 cc turbocharged diesel engine that produces 120 horsepower at 4,000 rpm and 280 Nm of torque between 1,800 and 2,800 rpm. The inline four-cylinder diesel engine is mated to a five-speed transmission unit and together, they pack quite a punch for Indian road standards. The police department patrolled mostly in Innova and Ertiga MPVs, and the Scorpio would prove to be a much agile upgrade. The Scorpio costs approximately 12.2 lakh rupees, which would’ve been subsidized since this was a bulk order for the government’s law enforcement body.

Royal Enfield Interceptor

The Royal Enfield Interceptor is based on the company’s 650cc twin-cylinder platform. It sports retro styling and touring comfort with a seat that happily accommodates a pillion. This would prove to be very helpful for the patrol officers as long hours of riding would be made comfortable by the seat, and the powerful parallel-twin would ensure very few getaway drivers or bikers.

The Interceptor runs on an oil-cooled, fuel-injected 648cc parallel-twin which is mated to a six-speed gearbox with chain drive. Styling gives it a very purposeful appearance and it goes well with the uniform-clad attire of the patrol officers, making it look like an official vehicle.

The parallel-twin is smooth and with comfortable gear ratios, ensures that it can be run for long stretches in any gear depending on the cruising speed.

Of the six different colour schemes available, the department decided to go with the monotone black theme, sticking to the official purpose of the motorcycle. Lighting could have been better, even with the old school styling. A single round headlamp without any LEDs or DRLs simply does not do justice to a modern-day 650 cc cruiser. Instrumentation is also old school, with analogue gauges and meters, with only a tiny digital screen displaying fuel level, and the distance covered.

At 2.5 lakhs, the Interceptor has two strong competitors, though neither of them would offer the feel and comfort of an able-bodied cruiser motorcycle.

Other developments in the Delhi Police’s infrastructure include setting up of a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory at Dwarka and building a mobile cyber forensic laboratory. These are to include a new “e” beat-book to scan fingerprints and compare them on-the-go with the criminal database.

The mobile laboratory is equipped with portable equipment used for data extraction and analysis from crime scenes. In addition to the purchased vehicles, requests for two vans to serve as the mobile cyber forensic laboratories is underway.

The entire broadcast and receiving radio setup is also proposed to be replaced in its entirety by a much-advanced version and will most probably be commissioned in 2020.

The court had also advised the Police to upgrade firearms with electronic sensors for GPS monitoring of location and usage, of the said government-issued equipment. This was done in light of many cases in which upon the recovery of a firearm or weapon, the absence of fingerprints allowed people to walk away, simply on the grounds of not having any connection to the object under scrutiny. This can be prevented if firearms came with electronic identification and location-tracking information.

In such cases, it is often proved that with better equipment and trained individuals, law and order can be more effectively implemented. With the appropriate technology at their disposal, the Police services can prove to be a much more effective instrument in keeping crime and law-breaking, under control.

A lot of state Police departments across the nation have fairly capable equipment at their disposal, and they are being upgraded more frequently owing to the ever-evolving digital age.

Related Links:

Is India Police Force Brutal?

The Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2019