2014 saw 16 pc jump in crimes in Mumbai suburban rail premises

Suburban Railway premises in Mumbai witnessed a 16 per cent jump in criminal offences in 2014, a year which also saw improvement in conviction rate.
A total of 3,118 criminal cases were reported last year, up from 2,676 in 2013. The conviction rate in such cases was 72 per cent, a 3 per cent jump from the previous year.
Sharing 2014 crime statistics, Government Railway Police (GRP) Commissioner Ravindra Singhal today said the Central Railway witnessed 2,249 criminal offences and Western Railway 869 in premises under suburban network.
The offences included murder, rape, attempt to murder, assault, molestation and theft, and cases were registered under relevant sections of the IPC.

"Proactive steps and friendly approach towards passengers by Railway Police made the victims to come forward and register cases. This has led to a jump in registration of offences," Singhal added.
The crime detection rate was 55 per cent in 2014 down from 64 per cent in 2013. "Going by detection and conviction rates, GRP have performed well in 2014. However, we have a lot of scope for improving our detection and convictions. Our men are being trained as to how to crack cases at the earliest and we are making sure that once a case is solved, there should not be any delay in filing a chargesheet."

"If there is no delay in start of trial, it is easy to get witnesses to testify against the accused in courts and secure conviction," the Commissioner added.

As far as crimes against women are concerned, a total of 73 such cases were lodged in 2014, of which 61 were solved. Among the offences, molestation (55) topped the chart. In 2013, 69 crimes against women were filed and 67 cracked.
"We are coordinating with Railway Protection Force, that patrols the railway premises, to bring down crimes against women," the IPS officer added.
Mobile phone thefts also saw an increase. "Last year 1,518 mobile devices were stolen from railway premises, whereas in 2013 this number was 1045.

"Detection rate in such cases fell to 57 per cent from 68 per cent in 2013. We are planning to develop an application that would help us trace the stolen cellphones," Singhal said.
As many as 3,423 accidental deaths were reported in 2014, 83 less than in 2013, mainly due to heavy rush in local trains.
Another officer said, "This means nine people died per day. A number of factors are responsible for this. Trains are overcrowded and there aren't enough foot over-bridges.