The number of calls received by the Police Control Room (PCR) between January and August have gone up by 90.79% in 2018 as compared to the same period last year, show data sought by The Hindu from the Delhi police.
There has also been a significant increase in the number of calls since August 2017, revealed the data.
The total number of PCR calls received till August 2018 stood at 1,52,29,893; the calls received till August 2017 were 79,82,354.
The number of calls received till August 2016 stood at 59,86,897, an increase of 33.3% compared to 2017.
The number of calls saw a sudden jump starting August last year. From 7-9 lakh per month, the calls spiked to 16-19 lakh per month and upwards. The maximum number of PCR calls received in a month in the last three years was in August 2018 at 21,88,193.
‘Calls routed to PCR’
An officer posted in the PCR unit of the Delhi police said that a possible reason for the increase could be the testing of the Nationwide Emergency Response System (NERS). “In the project, 112 is the common number for all emergencies. Therefore, all such calls are considered PCR calls,” he said.
Another reason for the increase can be attribute to blank or hoax calls.
The officer said that at least 70%-75% of the PCR calls are blank and not actionable and “only around 20% PCR calls seek action”.
“All the Delhi police applications route the calls to the PCR. If one is checking the application, it is very common to press the dial option,” the officer said.
On whether the spike in calls indicated an increase in reported crime, the officer said: “The number of Police Control Room calls does not necessarily determine whether crime has increased because actionable calls are less in comparison to the calls received,” he said.
An officer who handles the Delhi police’s social media accounts said a lot of people have started reporting crime on Twitter and Facebook after which they are approached and a formal procedure is followed. “Many have started tweeting their complaints but most still dial 100 in distress,” he said.
