Police identifying escape routes to crack down on snatchers

NEWDELHI: The Delhi police solved around 60% of the snatching cases reported across the city in 2019, which is a little more than 2018’s data.

In 2018, the police had solved 55.38% of the reported cases.

Police spokesperson DCP Mandeep Randhawa said that in 2019, there were a total of 6,266 cases, of which 3,720 (59.37%) cases have been solved.

The police said that since 2019, they have been conducting a joint inspection with the traffic police and police control room vans. “There is integrated checking with the traffic and PCR vans at certain pickets. We are carrying out this exercise at many identified pockets across the city. This is providing good results, which is why the number of snatching cases reduced last year compared

to 2018,” Randhawa said.

According to police data, there were 6,932 cases in 2018. The number of cases in 2019 was 6,266.

Over the past few months, police stations across the city have been tasked to find out the possible escape routes of motorcycle-borne snatchers. Randhawa said that the police have identified such routes at many police stations in the city and plan the deployment of police personnel at such stretches to catch the snatchers.

Using mostly stolen motorcycles and scooters, snatchers target pedestrians and steal their cellphones, bags or gold chains. The city police have written to the government to bring in a stricter law against snatchers.

PROFILE OF SNATCHERS

According to a study of persons arrested for snatching over the last two years, most snatchers are between the ages of 18 and 25. Of the 5,243 persons arrested, 3,486 belonged to that age group, followed by 1,468 persons aged between 25 and 35 years. There were also six above the age of 50.

“Since last year, the police have put up barricades at different places. This gives an element of surprise. Many snatchers have been arrested because of this dynamic and surprise barricading,” the officer said.