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Mumbai: Crime on railway premises in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has doubled in 2022 as compared to 2021. However, the Government Railway Police (GRP) officers claimed that the number of crimes in 2021 was low as there were Covid-19 restrictions enforced that year.
According to the statistics provided by GRP, last year, 13,799 crimes were reported, as compared to 6,720 cases registered in 2021. The GRP officers claimed that in the pre-pandemic years like in 2019, around 16,948 criminal cases were registered.
The GRP data also revealed that out of 13,799 total FIRs registered in 2022, 12,589 cases were of thefts while 588 cases were of robbery.
“As train travel was restricted to emergency workers and government employees till near end of 2021, the cases recorded were low whereas in 2022, train travel was back to normal – pre-pandemic level,” said Ravindra Shisve, commissioner of police (GRP).
The data also showed that molestation cases in 2022 increased, as compared to 2021 making it a point of concern for the GRP. In 2021, 50 cases of molestation were reported across MMR, which increased to 92 cases in 2022.
“Women’s safety is our priority and we are taking measures to ensure that women can travel without any hesitation on the trains,” said Shisve. “I am studying the data and taking essential steps to reduce overall crime,” added Shisve.
The GRP officers said that with measures such as constant awareness campaigns, registration of offences, review of vulnerability by incorporating software-based technology, improvement in CCTV surveillance systems, modernisation of the crime database, follow up on criminals outside the state boundaries, constantly reviewing progress made by various units etc are being undertaken to minimise crime on railways and improve detection rate.
However, according to the statistics out of the 13,799 crimes allegedly committed last year on trains, only 5,467 cases were detected, taking the detection rate to as low as 39.6%.
Railway activists claimed that after the pandemic, many people have been left unemployed who are indulging in crime on trains. In any case, they said, owing to the crowd, trains have always been a convenient means to commit thefts and robberies.
Sameer Zaveri, railway activist, said that earlier the police used to register missing complaints when a phone of a commuter was lost in railway premises. However, three years ago they started registering FIRs in case of missing phones which required them to conduct an investigation and conclude the case by recovering the phone or arresting the accused.
“The officers began arresting criminals to show a healthy detection rate which is helping in preventing the crime now. This method should be applied to the entire state police,” said Zaveri.
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