Mumbai reveals that the footfalls in last 15 days have reduced by 10 per cent as most of the offices in the city have opted for 'work from home'.
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The outbreak of global pandemic COVID -19 has decelerated crime rate by 30 per cent in the last 15 days at railway premises in Mumbai amidst the fact that people are encouraged to 'social distancing' to fend off the deadly virus which has tightened its grip around the globe.
Besides this, the official data procured from Government Railway Police (GRP) Mumbai reveals that the footfalls in last 15 days have reduced by 10 per cent as most of the offices in the city have opted for 'work from home'.
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Talking to mid-day, the GRP commissioner Ravindra Shengaonkar said, "It seems the anti-social elements too are taking precautions to avoid getting infected with the COVID-19 as all types of crime has reduced by 30 per cent in the last 15 days."
"The cases of mobile theft, chain snatching and molestation have reduced. In February, the number of these cases was more than 100 but till date, in March, the number of such cases is very less and it has reduced by 30 per cent," he added.
He further added that the officers at all the GRP outposts have been provided with safety and protective gears like masks and hand sanitisers.
"We have distributed 7,500 masks, 7,500 pairs of hand gloves and 100 sanitizers to 17 GRP outposts to protect them from Coronavirus," said Shengaonkar.
Total 3,500 staffs are working at 17 GRP outposts and headquarters. The GRP officials are responsible to check law and order issues at all the railway stations in Mumbai and adjacent districts.
"Around 80 lakh passengers travel every day in Mumbai local trains and the GRP officials have to perform duty to maintain law and order and to control crime. As precautionary measures, we distributed masks and hand sanitisers among all our staff to keep them protected and so that they can work fearlessly," he added.
GRP has also deployed additional personnel at stations like Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Tilak Nagar station, Kalyan, Thane, Andheri, Bandra and Mumbai Central from where long-distance trains start.
"The additional force at these important stations have been strictly told to wear facemasks and hand gloves while checking and scanning the belongings of passengers boarding long-distance trains. They have been also asked to carry hand sanitisers with them," added Shengaokar, who sent two constables on sick leave after he noticed them coughing at work.
"We are not taking a single chance in the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak. Our two constables were coughing for one day. So as a precautionary measure, they have been asked to take medicines and take sound rest before resuming work," he added.
Besides this, Shengaonkar has instructed all the in-charges of 17 GRP outposts to keep eyes on each member of staff.
"They (in-charge of GRP outposts) have been asked to send staff members on sick leave with immediate effect if they are noticed coughing, sneezing or suffering from fever," he concluded.
A bottle of hand sanitizer at each GRP outpost was seen installed at the entry gate. The statistics released by GRP said that in last month (from 1st to 15th February) there was 1376 theft cases reported in and across the police station. They have dropped by 251 this month and have come to (from 1st to 15th March) 1125. However, mobile theft, snatching also dropped by 180 in last month (1st to 15 February) it was 949 and in this month (1st to 15 March) GRP registered 769 cases.
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