Cops in civvies to tail BPO cabs

Delhi Police will now discreetly tail cabs dropping women during late night shifts. All cab drivers were seen following safety norms in the past fortnight, ever since the drive by police control room (PCR) vans started. Vijaita Singh reports

Delhi Police will now discreetly tail cabs dropping women during late night shifts. All cab drivers were seen following safety norms in the past fortnight, ever since the drive by police control room (PCR) vans started.

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While so far there was a police gypsy following the cabs, the Delhi police intend to deploy policemen in civil dress on motorcycles to tail the cabs to ensure that the cabs follow norms even when there is no police van in sight.

"So far we have found that all the cabs that we tailed were following the safety guidelines prescribed by us, mainly because police gypsies were on the road. But to ensure that the drivers follow these rules, we will deploy policemen in plainclothes on motorcycles behind them," said Deepak Mishra, joint commissioner of police (operations).

On Thursday, Delhi Police had come out with a notification that cabbies found shirking responsibility of ensuring safety of women employees working late hours will be sent to jail. Not only cabbies but also the organization where the women work will be held responsible and booked for criminal negligence.

A cab driver or the BPO will be held responsible if a woman employee is not dropped at her doorsteps or there is no security guard in the cab. A woman employee cannot be seated in the back of the vehicle. The BPO will have to ensure that a woman is neither the first nor the last one to be dropped. Such offences will be punished under Section 188 of the IPC. The second offence will invite an imprisonment of six months. A woman employee can also complain to the police directly.

"We tail 40-odd cabs during late night hours on a daily basis. We did not find any shortcoming, as the drivers were obviously conscious of the police jeep behind them. The policemen trailing the vans discreetly will be the real test for them," said the officer.
After the guidelines were announced, the Delhi police again conducted a meeting with the representatives of all the BPO companies apprising them about the legal action in case of non-compliance.