more-in With summer holidays having begun, the Government Railway Police (GRP) have braced up to deal with heavy passenger movements in the next couple of months by enhancing surveillance and forming special teams in a bid to avert offences. The police have conceptualised a two-pronged strategy of stepping up surveillance to keep tabs on criminals targeting rail passengers and organising a series of awareness campaigns to sensitise travellers to the precautionary measures. In addition to its existing strength to cover vast jurisdiction, the police have made a request to the State police headquarters seeking some Tamil Nadu Special Police personnel to augment the manpower strength especially during the holiday season when passenger movements reaches its peak. The GRP authorities say 20 crime teams have been constituted timing with the holiday season to mount surveillance in an effort to avert offences on board trains and in stations. The police have a vast jurisdiction to cover starting from Mundiyambakkam near Villupuram and goes down south up to Kuzhithurai near Kanyakumari in the north-south direction covering the entire Tiruchi and Madurai railway divisions. The huge stretch from Karaikal to Noyyal near Karur in the east - west direction also falls under the limits of GRP, Tiruchi District. Every crime team comprises of about eight GRP men and officers who would move in plainclothes on board trains and in stations. The teams have been assigned designated stretches to mount surveillance, say the authorities. The Tiruchi - Thanjavur; Tiruvarur- Nagapattinam; Villupuram - Vriddhachalam; Madurai - Tirunelveli - Nagercoil are among the chosen stretches assigned to the crime teams, says the Superintendent of Police, GRP, Tiruchi Z. Annie Vijaya. This is in addition to the escort teams deployed on board various express and superfast trains. The authorities say the GRP was working in close coordination with the Railway Protection of Tiruchi and Madurai Divisions. Alongside these security measures, the GRP has also planned to organise a series of awareness programmes involving college students to drive home precautionary measures that needed to be taken by passengers while travelling. The awareness campaigns are proposed to be organised at important stations such as Villupuram, Tiruchi, Dindigul, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Nagercoil, said SP Annie Vijaya. The GRP authorities say it poses a challenge if the offences were to be committed by local first offenders and new criminals as there is less information about their activities. Inputs about movements of suspicious elements at stations is also planned to be ascertained from the stakeholders at the railway stations, say the authorities. Help desk Coinciding with the holiday season, the GRP has proposed to open Railway Police Tourist Help Desk at important stations such as Tiruchi, Madurai, Velankanni, Kodai Road and Nagercoil to guide tourists. The help desk at Tiruchi is planned to start before this month.

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