In what is being touted as the first of its kind in the entire country, the Hyderabad City Police has launched a specialised wing to deal with riots, riot-like situations, crowd control, rescue and relief operations, and related unrest.
The police said that the City Rapid Action Force (CRAF) was formed after selecting young personnel with 'quick reflexes, maturity and un-biased views'.
"They have a distinctive uniform and have to act in zero response time. The force currently has 40 personnel (20 male and 20 female) who are specially trained officers of the rank of Police Constables. This force is equipped with non-lethal weapons for dispersing the crowd with minimum harm and losses," the city police said in a press release.
The police said that the motto of the wing was 'Serving Humanity with Sensitive Policing' and they would always be kept ready to be deployed as and when the situation demands.
"CRAF will be deployed only by the orders of the Commissioner of Police on specific duties only, and are normally not deployed for a long duration. This unit will be used to deal with communal violence, law and order duties, festival and election duties and agitations for carrying out prompt rescue and relief operations as and when required," the press release added.
The CRAF was launched by Hyderabad Commissioner Anjani Kumar at his office in Hyderabad along with Addl Commissioner M Shiva Prasad, Addl CP (Crimes) Shika Goel and Addl CP (Law and Order) DS Chauhan, among other senior officers. A mock drill was also performed.
In August this year, Hyderabad became the second city in the country to have a dedicated Disaster Response Force, after Mumbai.
Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) KT Rama Rao launched the Enforcement Vigilance Disaster Management (EVDM) with 120 dedicated staff while vehicles will function under Greater Hyderbabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
The DRF will reach out to the people during emergency situations such as flash floods, heavy rains, building collapses, fire mishaps and any other emergency situations.