New Delhi, June 22 (IANS) The all-India conference of Government Railway Police Chiefs of states and Union Territories on Sunday firmed up plans to enhance passenger safety through intelligence sharing, coordinated operations, and FIR integration via Rail Madad.

Discussions were also held on leveraging technology and unified coordination to counter interstate crime and enhance security for women passengers.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) Director General Manoj Yadava also called for synergised action by the RPF and the GRP across states to safeguard railway passengers and make railway travel safer, more secure.

The 6th All India Conference of Government Railway Police Chiefs was organised under the aegis of the RPF at Vigyan Bhawan here. The high-level conference, presided over by the RPF chief, was attended by DGPs, ADGPs, and senior officers from the GRP of various states and Union Territories, along with representatives from the Ministry of Railways and focused on concerted efforts to address the growing challenges of crime control on Indian Railways and to strengthen collective mechanisms to ensure the safety and security of millions of railway passengers commuting daily through its vast network.

The central theme of the conference revolved around enhancing intelligence-sharing, formulating joint operational strategies and fine-tuning inter-agency coordination to counter the evolving modus operandi of criminal elements exploiting the vast railway network.

A key focus area was the intensification of passenger awareness campaigns to educate travellers on common tricks and traps employed by thieves and fraudsters. The conference resolved to push for the seamless conversion of passenger property theft complaints lodged on the Rail Madad portal into formal FIRs, thereby boosting detection rates and discouraging repeat offences.

In a bid to dismantle organised interstate criminal networks targeting high-value passenger belongings, detailed deliberations were held on deploying proactive surveillance, coordinated operations across states and leveraging technology-backed solutions, including Facial Recognition Systems. The necessity of a unified response system among GRP units of different states and UTs was strongly emphasised to prevent jurisdictional gaps that are often exploited by offenders.

Special attention was devoted to the worrying trends of crimes against women passengers, with the participants agreeing on robust preventive measures including targeted patrolling, CCTV cameras in stations and coaches and deployment of Meri Saheli teams to enhance the sense of security among women travellers.

The misuse of railway premises by drug traffickers and smugglers also came under the scanner, with strategies being discussed to curb such illegal activities through intensified checks and real-time intelligence inputs.

A critical presentation by the Intelligence Bureau highlighted potential terrorist threats to sensitive railway installations and the urgent need for vulnerability assessments and fortified security protocols. Additionally, the issue of child safety on railway premises was deliberated, focusing on mechanisms for the timely identification and rehabilitation of vulnerable children being rescued from trafficking and exploitation risks.

–IANS

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