In 2016, Crimes against Women passengers declined 22 percent in trains of the Eastern Railway

Kolkata, Jan 13, 2017: Crimes against women passengers declined 22 percent in trains of the Eastern Railway last year, a senior Railway Protection Force (RPF) official said here on Friday.

"Enhanced security facilities, escorting of ladies special trains and deployment of RPF personnel in the compartments of the first and last trains of the day were among the measures that brought down the number of crimes against women," Vinod Kumar Dhaka, IG-cum-Chief Security Commissioner, Eastern Railway said.

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"Sixty cases of crime against women were registered in 2016 in the Eastern Railway, compared to 77 cases in the previous year, indicating a decrease of 22 percent. Also, 273 minor girls were rescued by the security personnel from various trains under the Eastern Railway in the last one year," Dhaka said.

"Initiatives like escorting the ladies special trains, earmarking compartments for women and deployment of RPF personnel in the first and last locals of the day have considerably decreased the crime against women passengers in the Eastern Railway," he said.

The official said the increased vigil and improved security infrastructure in the trains and station premises has resulted in an overall decrease in railway property crimes.

"A total of 334 trains in the Eastern Railway are being presently escorted by the RPF, 100 more than the previous year. As a result, the Railway Property Crime in 2016 has seen a decrease of 34.59 per cent compared to the previous year."

"Altogether 235 criminals were also arrested by the RPF in the cases of running train theft (RTT)," Dhaka said.

Stating the RPF has a focused approach on bringing down the incidents of crime and corruption in the railways, the official assured that necessary steps to develop the security infrastructure are also being taken.

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"CCTV cameras are installed in 236 railway stations under Eastern Railway which is highest in comparison to other railway zones. The number of Commandos in the major railway stations, bomb squad officials, sniffer and tracker dogs have also been increased to ensure security," Dhaka said.

"Important trains like Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express and the Maitree Express between India and Bangladesh are also escorted by the RPF commandos," he added. (IANS)