Coming soon, a multi-storey blast-proof headquarters for Delhi Police’s anti-terror squad

As per the plan, the building will be blast proof with a safe house, and may also have a helipad on its roof. While speaking at the event, Shah said the headquarters will be equipped with a state-of-the-art indoor firing range, war room, cyber lab, training hall, and various modern facilities. It will serve as a “model Special Cell” headquarters for police forces across the country.

“The Special Cell of Delhi Police has played a successful and significant role in investigating narcotics syndicates, fake Indian currency rackets, complex cybercrimes, organised crime, and several major terrorist incidents not only in Delhi but across the country,” he said.

The Special Cell has five different ranges and one Counter Intelligence unit (CI). Once the new headquarters is ready, senior officials of the Special Cell, including the Special Commissioner, will have their offices in the new building. Officers said that the existing office at Lodhi Colony will be razed to begin the construction of the new headquarters.

Safe City Project’s Phase-I launched

In another shot in the arm, Shah also launched the first phase of the Delhi Police’s Rs 857-crore ambitious Safe City project, and said it will significantly enhance Delhi’s security in the coming days.

Under the project, a modern Integrated Command, Control, Communication and Computer Centre (C4I) has been set up, connected to 10,000 cameras. Of these, 2,100 cameras have already gone live, and the integration of more than 15,000 existing cameras with the system has been completed.

The project, which began in 2018, had its deadline extended multiple times. The installation of cameras began in the riot-affected Northeast district and was later expanded to cover the entire city. Once developed, the police control room (PCR) can receive information about any incident without the need for a PCR call — as the cameras will be equipped with features such as face recognition system and distress detection technologies, capable of identifying sounds and facial expressions associated with emergencies.

Shah also laid the foundation stones for 10 new Delhi Police projects, including a dedicated barrack for female personnel.

Meanwhile, speaking about the new criminal laws, the Union Home Minister underlined that “…whenever justice is discussed in the country, the three new laws will certainly be mentioned”.

The laws enacted by the British 150 years ago, he said, have now been repealed and replaced with a justice-centric legal system. The Home Minister added that within the next two years, after the full implementation of these laws, any FIR filed anywhere in the country will receive a final decision — up to the Supreme Court — within three years.

The Union Home Minister said that in the new laws, a separate chapter has been added for crimes against children and women, and e-FIR and Zero FIR have been given legal backing. Under the Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS), the police, judiciary, forensic science departments, prosecution, and prisons have been integrated, and their services have been made available online.

Shah said that forensic visits have been made mandatory for crimes punishable by more than seven years. “For the first time in the country’s laws, terrorism has been defined, and a provision for trial in absentia has been introduced for fugitives who flee the country. Provisions have also been made to attach the properties of declared offenders located outside India. Furthermore, in the new laws, the Director of Prosecution has been given greater importance. The definition of documents has been expanded to grant legal recognition to electronic and digital records,” he underlined.