Pepper Spray Is Delhi Police Commandos' Key Crime Fighting Tool

Until now, it's mostly women who have used pepper spray for safety reasons and to fight crime. Now, Delhi Police commandos are also making use of it. Pepper spray finds a crucial place in the safety equipment and gadgets that Delhi Police commando use.

Part of the Parakram vans, each vehicle comprises a five-member team having one driver, three commandos and one in-charge. The three-commando team has two men and one woman.

The security kits that these commandos carry have a total of ten items. Apart from pepper spray, it includes a knife, baton and stun gun.

“Using a pepper spray is advantageous because it’s very light in weight, and so easy to carry. We can just keep it in our pockets. Its effective range is up to 20 feet, and we can use it without thinking twice.”

“The pepper spray is the most effective tool to combat any enemy,” Awatar Singh, inspector in-charge of south zone Parakram vans, told Hindustan Times. “With just one spray, the opponent feels very uncomfortable — the inflammation can even make a person fall unconscious for almost 30-35 minutes. The pepper spray’s biggest advantage is that it doesn’t lead to any human rights violations.”

Commando Kikim Singson, who has recently joined Delhi Police, added, “Using a pepper spray is advantageous because it’s very light in weight, and so easy to carry. We can just keep it in our pockets. Its effective range is up to 20 feet, and we can use it without thinking twice.”

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These anti-terror Parakram vans underwent a transformation in 2017. This is the first time the Delhi Police trained women commandos to be deployed in Parakram Vans. Also, before Independence Day last month, they released a fleet of 14 new Parakram vans in service.

Though mostly active around Lutyen’s Delhi, Parakram Vans are also venturing further.

“The experiment proved effective. The presence of these commando-manned vehicles not only serves as a major deterrent for terror elements, but they also help to show police presence near soft targets,” Amulya Patnaik, police chief told Hindustan Times last month.

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