The next time you witness a crime or anti-social activity at a railway station or in a train, capture it on your mobile phone and WhatsApp it to the Government Railway Police (GRP).
As part of its modernisation drive, the GRP launched a helpline — 1512 — in the city last month, the new number was introduced as the Union government had asked all States to set up control rooms to receive distress calls from train commuters.
“The helpline receives 200 calls per day. Most of them are from the Chennai-Coimbatore route and pertain mostly to nuisance, men occupying ladies compartments and people sitting in coaches reserved for the disabled,” said a senior GRP officer.
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“We are in talks with BSNL to link a new mobile number with 1512. Once activated, we will inform the public,” he said.
Since the launch of the helpline, the GRP claimed it had retrieved over 17 sovereigns of gold jewellery, laptops and other valuables left behind by train commuters.
“With the help of WhatsApp and messaging services, passengers can easily lodge complaints without revealing their identity,” the officer said.
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The team of six GRP personnel, who work in shifts to attend helpline calls, round-the-clock, are also updated with the numbers of all hospitals and police stations.
“We are planning to make the facility like the ‘108’ ambulance model. This way, commuters in distress can be immediately sent to the nearest medical institution or local police personnel can be sent to assist the passengers,” he said.
Concerted efforts, need of the hour
On the night of December 29, last year, a woman IT professional was pushed out of a moving train by a thief who tried to steal her gold chain.
She miraculously survived with only a fractured arm. This is just an instance of one of the many crimes that take place on trains and platforms in the city and suburbs.
Though there are two enforcement teams — the Government Railway Police (GRP) deployed by the State, and Indian Railway’s own Railway Protection Force (RPF) — keeping vigil along the railway lines in and out of the city, security is lacking.
In the case of the woman techie, investigators are yet to find a breakthrough. Senior officers admit shortage of GRP personnel and lack of crime-fighting mechanism remain hurdles when it comes to solving such cases. Minimal ‘cooperation’ between the RPF and GRP teams is also worsening the situation, they say.
RPF personnel, who are primarily involved in protection of railway property, have recently stepped in to work on intelligence gathering and crime prevention, alongside their GRP counterparts, who are extensively involved in cracking crime cases.
Experts believe a coordinated crime-fighting effort by the well-equipped RPF and the skeletal GRP could make our trains and platforms a lot safer for all commuters, especially women.
(Reporting by
Vivek Narayanan
and Petlee Peter)