"Like a pizza boy delivering the stuff faster than the guaranteed half-an-hour", the Delhi police should reach the crime scene before the current response time of ten minutes to earn the "faith" of people, the Delhi High Court today said.
"We are concerned over the response time of the police team in reaching the crime spot.They should reach quickly in order to give guarantee to citizens of Delhi that they are safe here," a division bench of B D Ahmed and R K Gauba said, adding "police will have to earn the faith of the public that they are always there for them in need".
The court was hearing a PIL initiated by it after the December 16, 2012 gangrape case, in which it has been giving directions from time to time with regard to improving crime investigation and protection of women in the national capital.
The court said, "The response time as given by you (police) is very important. It is to check the efficiency of the police. You will have to ensure that you reach the crime scene before ten minutes."
The bench gave the direction on the submissions made by Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain who, while reading the affidavit filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), said that to "ensure safety and security of women in the national capital, response time of the Delhi police to distress calls reportedly reduced to 10 minutes".
"The response time of police should be known to everyone so that the citizens here are aware that the police are always there on time at the crime scenes," the bench said.
The court asked the police to file an affidavit with regard to the concern raised by it.
It also expressed concern over the way the police detect crimes, saying in most of the cases the criminals "go scot free due to absence of strong evidence, like proper photos of crime scenes and lack of forensic experts".
The bench said that the police team should comprise "experts, including a forensic pathologist, who determine the cause of death by examining a corpse".
It said the Centre, AIIMS, Delhi government and municipal bodies here should file an affidavit before July 27 indicating whether there is any forensic pathologist working in their hospitals.
