709 vehicles have been impounded by "Jaguar Highway" patrolling team this year so far.
The Delhi Police has deployed "Jaguar Highway" patrolling teams at vulnerable stretches in the north district in an attempt to curb street crime, officials said.
The initiative has led to the arrest of 21 criminals till March 15, they said.
According to the police, 16 thieves, two robbers, two people with illegal arms and a snatcher have been caught by the patrolling staff.
"To curb street crime in north Delhi, a new initiative of deploying Jaguar Highway Patrol Teams at vulnerable stretches, especially Outer Ring Road, was introduced on December 26 last year. The teams have been deployed at their designated stretches in three shifts, which keep patrolling the area round-the-clock," a senior police officer said.
"These patrolling teams also keep a tab on PCR calls related to their designated routes and nearby area, and reach the spot instantly. These teams also check suspects by implementing "roko-toko" strategy," he said.
The officer said they have chosen Outer Ring Road as it is usually easy for criminals to escape through this route after committing a crime.
The patrolling staff has so far checked 19,786 vehicles. 3,808 vehicles were checked in January, 10,346 in February and 5,632 till March 15, the officer said, adding that 709 vehicles have been impounded this year so far.
According to the police, 463 vehicles have been deposited under section 66 of the Delhi Police Act (police to take charge of unclaimed property) this year. This number was 304 in 2020.
The number of calls about street crime has come down due to this initiative. The strategy is effective as criminals know the stretch where strict patrolling is done and they avoid taking that route, the police said.
Although robbery incidents have marginally gone down, incidents of snatching have seen a sharp decline as compared to last year in six police stations -- Kotwali, Kashmiri Gate, Civil Lines, Timarpur, Wazirabad and Burari -- which cover Outer Ring Road of the district, the police said.
In January this year, there were 26 calls of robbery and 83 calls of snatching. In the previous year, the number of robbery calls were 28 and snatching calls 172, they said.
Similarly, in February 2021, police received 31 calls of robbery and 98 calls of snatching. In 2020, the number of robbery and snatching calls were 33 and 140, respectively, the police said.
The police have received 13 calls of robbery and 43 calls of snatching till March 15. In the previous year, the number of robbery and snatching incidents were 27 and 77, respectively, they added.