Undercover cops at Metro stations to enhance security

To combat rising crime rates and ensure the safety of passengers travelling in the Delhi Metro, the city police have implemented a new security strategy under which they will deploy officers in plain clothes at vulnerable Metro stations during peak hours.

The step was taken after the city police conducted a “temporal and spatial analysis” to review its security plan as the Capital has witnessed a surge in ridership in recent months, leading to a corresponding increase in crime reports, official sources from the police said.

Temporal and spatial are terms that refer to time and space. The data was collected from 190 Metro stations to determine the time at which crime incidents remained high at stations.

By analysing data from these 190 stations, the police identified 32 Metro stations susceptible to theft, harassment and other offences.

Among these 32 Metro stations were Kashmiri Gate, Rajiv Chowk, Seelampur Anand Vihar and Kalkaji.

“Our goal is to create a safer environment for commuters,” the Joint Commissioner of Police, (transport range) Vijay Singh, said.

“By blending in with the crowd, our officers can more effectively deter criminal activity and respond to incidents promptly,” he said, adding, “You can call them our undercover officers.”

The security of the Delhi Metro is looked after by the CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) and Delhi Police.

While the CISF does frisking and checking, the city police register FIRs, conduct probes and also do patrolling on the premises. This is a separate unit of Delhi Police, with 16 Metro police stations located on the Metro premises in different parts of the city. A DCP-level officer heads the unit.

The JCP said the enhanced security measures would include increased visibility of female officers on platforms and trains to address concerns about women safety.

Additionally, the police would leverage technology to monitor suspicious behaviour and identify potential threats, the JCP added.

By proactively addressing these issues in the Metro, the police aim to maintain the Delhi Metro’s reputation as a reliable and secure public transportation system, Singh said.

According to the plan, a police official will be deployed at the entrance, while two-three, including female police staff, will keep their eye on platforms and trains during the peak hours. Singh further said temporal and spatial data analysis helped the police identify the vulnerable locations and points at the stations.

The deployment of such personnel may start from this week onwards, he added.

According to police statistics, Delhi Metro has reported 3,952 cases of thefts this year so far. The official sources said these cases of thefts include pickpockets, missing mobile phones, purses or other valuable items of the passengers and Metro staff. It also includes thefts of the Metro properties.