Title - Staff shortage plagues railway police

The Vijayawada Government Railway Police (GRP) is facing severe shortage of staff. Even as the crimes in trains are increasing, the government is not taking any steps to allot necessary strength and provide security for passengers.Owing to shortage of staff, the railway police are finding it difficult to cover the long distances and prevent thefts and the crime spree in trains creating panic among passengers.In most of the cases, burglars were targeting air-conditioned coaches to commit crimes. The modus operandi of the criminals is to board the AC coaches like passengers and rob them. On some occasions, the miscreants attacked the passengers and hurt them severely, when they resisted.According to sources, only 395 (Civil) police personnel are working in Vijayawada railway police while the sanctioned strength is 514. In Armed Reserve (AR), the sanctioned strength for the division is 96, but only 61 are posts are filled.In all, 14 Sub-Inspectors and 97 police constable posts were vacant in civil, while two Reserve Sub-Inspectors (RSIs) and 30 AR police constable posts were vacant in Vijayawada railway police division.

Speaking to The Hindu in-charge Superintendent of Railway Police (Vijayawada division), M. Kantha Rao said the GRP is writing to the regular police to depute forces from districts to control thefts in trains, particularly during summer.

“We request the Superintendents of Police (SPs), Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and the Commissioner of Police to allot necessary staff to railway police to control crimes and provide protection for passengers”.

“The man power allocation has been made some 20 years ago for the railway police and about 30 percent vacancies are there in GRP now. We represented the Railway Board and the State government to fill the vacancies, which have accepted to take up recruitments”, said Mr. Kantha Rao.