The Supreme Court has directed Delhi Police to map vulnerable locations such as parks, transport hubs and isolated areas.
Evening and early-morning patrols are to be strengthened.
Lighting and CCTV at parks, metro stations and bus stops must be audited.
Each district is to have a dedicated team led by a DSP-rank officer.
The court heard the case on October 5.
The court took up the matter after recent incidents of sexual assault in Delhi-NCR, including at public parks and on transport routes.
The bench said that what matters is to prevent crime, and not only to act after it has been committed.
It said every woman in the capital must feel safe, whether she is walking at 10 pm or travelling by metro or road, according to news24online.
The court wants offenders to feel fear, and it said men should fear committing sexual offences.
The court directed each Delhi district to set up a dedicated police team led by an officer of Deputy Superintendent of Police rank.
Police are to map vulnerable locations, including parks, transport hubs and isolated areas.
Evening and early-morning patrols are to be strengthened.
Authorities must audit lighting and CCTV at public parks, metro stations, bus stops and other vulnerable places, and repair or strengthen them where needed.
The court also pointed to the use of the National Database on Sexual Offenders and emergency response systems.
LatestLY reported that the court emphasised 24-hour monitoring cells to prevent sexual offences.
The bench said that inadequate lighting, poor surveillance and lax patrolling create conditions in which crimes against women can occur.
It said authorities must act on the ground and not rely on paperwork.
The matter remains under the court’s monitoring, and authorities will have to file progress reports showing the action taken.
A suo motu case is one that the court takes up on its own, without a petition from a party.
Connaught Place, New Delhi at night (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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