New Delhi, Oct. 6 -- The Supreme Court on Monday told the Delhi Police to rise to the challenge of preventing rape and other crimes against women and girls in the Capital by creating a strong deterrent among criminals that they would be "doomed" if caught committing such acts. Hearing a suo motu case on recent rape incidents in the city, a bench of justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran said the police needed to shift their focus from apprehending offenders after a crime to preventing such incidents through intensified patrolling and surveillance. "You must create a fear in the minds of all these criminals that if something goes wrong, you are doomed," the bench said. The court told police that crimes against women were a serious problem and that ensuring their safety could not be achieved merely by issuing guidelines and directions that were poorly implemented on the ground. "What is happening today is that you catch hold of the culprits and put them behind bars. What is important is to prevent such crimes," the bench said. The observations came amid widespread concern over the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj, a 142-acre park near Kalkaji, on September 21. The incident triggered outrage and widespread protests, with questions being raised over security and surveillance in Delhi's large public parks and other vulnerable spaces. Reminding the police of their duty towards the citizens of ensuring their safety, the court said, "Every woman or girl who is molested or raped is our sister or mother. Do not let us down but rise to the occasion and don't allow these things to happen, no matter if it requires some harsh measures to be taken." With the festival season approaching, the bench warned that anti-social elements could become more active during the intervening holidays. "With this intervening holidays during the festive season, these miscreants, goons and anti-social elements will be at their peak. Focus on intensifying patrolling. Concentrate on bus stops, metros, railway stations, schools and colleges where women are vulnerable," it said. At the same time, the court stressed that police needed to remain approachable to women seeking help. "People should not run away from you but must come to meet you and talk to you. Your response to them should comfort them," the bench said on Monday. The court had on September 28 directed a slew of measures to be taken by the police which included audit of all public places, parks, metro stations and bus stands and enhanced day and night patrolling of vulnerable areas in every district. It reserved orders on passing another set of directions in continuation of its previous orders. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the police, said a comprehensive response would be filed before the next hearing detailing steps taken to ensure women's safety in the city. The bench said, "Merely putting out guidelines and directions on paper will not help. You need to get it into action as the endeavour should be to ensure rape, etc is done away with." Senior advocate Liz Mathew, assisting the court as amicus curiae, said a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit had revealed vacancies across various posts in the Delhi Police, which needed to be filled if patrolling was to be intensified....