Delhi police crack down on snatchers as pandemic keeps crime low

Data accessed by HT shows that the police control room used to receive around 5,000 distress calls on an average every month.. The numbers have come down to less than 2,000 in the last few months.

A hard crackdown, coupled with the fear of an invisible but deadly virus, has given Delhi Police the opportunity of cleaning up the city’s streets like never before.

Senior Delhi police officers said that they had launched a massive crackdown in the last two months and a large number of people have been arrested for snatching and robbery . Snatching was one of the most common crimes last year. (ANI)

If numbers could speak, then the ones accessed by HT from the police control room, would say that common street crimes in the city — like robbery and snatching — are at an all-time low , having dipped by around 60%, when compared to average number of calls received each month last year.

Data accessed by HT shows that the police control room used to receive around 5,000 distress calls on an average every month.. The numbers have come down to less than 2,000 in the last few months.

Senior Delhi police officers said that they had launched a massive crackdown in the last two months and a large number of people have been arrested for snatching and robbery . Snatching was one of the most common crimes last year.

Senior police officers said all station heads have been directed to focus on street crime by police chief SN Shrivastava. The SHOs have been told to ensure that bikers do not have a free run and ensure that snatching cases do not remain unsolved.

Between May and June this year, since the lockdown norms started to be eased, police have arrested 15,678 persons. During the same period last year, there were 11,250 arrests.

“The number of calls received has gone down, which definitely means that the crime is coming down. From mid May to June, the lockdown norms have relaxed. People are back on the streets but the calls are reducing,” said additional commissioner of police(crime) MS Randhawa.

Randhawa said that every police district has been told to focus on nipping street crime in the bud. “At every meeting, the district DCPs are told probe the whole gang involved in snatching — like people receiving/buying stolen property. The number of arrests has increased suddenly because after every snatching, investigating teams are arresting every person related to the crime to break the chain.”

The officer cited the example of a cell phone repair mechanic in north Delhi, who was arrested on Saturday with 27 stolen phones. Police had then said that the man, bought snatched mobile phones and sold it in the market by tampering its IMEI number.

The increase in the number of arrests has also prompted Tihar jail authorities to create more spaces for isolation wards to ensure social distancing in jails.

Tihar has reported two Covid-19 deaths and 141 positive cases until Tuesday .

The prison chief, director general Sandeep Goel said that while the situation is manageable currently, the department has written to the government requesting for a temporary jail to be built in the police colony at Mandoli. “There are around 350 flats in the police colony, which can house around 2000 prisoners and can be utilized for isolation of new inmates.”