Feel safe, women on bikes are on the watch in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Women going to malls and party hubs in south Delhi will no more have to be hesitant in approaching cops for help with Delhi Police deploying all-women patrol squads on Wednesday. These teams, with two women cops on a bike, will patrol vulnerable spots and dark stretches with a special focus on areas like Hauz Khas Village, Saket malls, Green Park and Sarojini Nagar.


The women cops will not only help fight crime, but also interact with college and school-going girls to ensure that they feel safe on the streets.



The initiative is in line with police commissioner Amulya Patnaik’s endeavour to have women in critical security roles. From having women cops in PCR vans or as commandos, to having a women-only special SWAT team, the top cop has ensured that women are inducted into what are traditionally seen as male bastions.



“We have zero tolerance on negligence in women’s safety cases,” said Patnaik. He also confirmed to having given his nod to extend the fleet of all-women PCR vans.



Elaborating on the measures taken in the last one year, Delhi Police’s chief spokesperson Dependra Pathak said that their focus is on reducing the gap between police and women citizens. “We are taking steps to ensure that women feel safe and comfortable in coming forward with their complaints,” he added.



The force is also using technology to ensure women’s safety. Women travelling in the city can remain in touch with police using their smartphones via Himmat Plus and QR codes in taxis, which were launched last month.

“No jurisdictional dispute will delay police response on a complaint. Chargesheets are filed within 20 days of an arrest in rape cases. Any delay is monitored by DCPs and other senior officers,” Pathak said.

Apart from attending to emergencies, staff on the 10 lines of 1091 also attend to inquiries from women and provide counselling. “Now, all distress calls from women about stalking are diverted to a special group in CPCR that functions 24X7. The staff calls the number of the abuser and deal with him. The cases are referred to the local police in real time through the cyber highway network,” Pathak said.

“The civic agencies are regularly informed about poorly-lit roads. In all, 8,293 cops have been trained through 315 programmes on gender sensitisation. Operation Shishtachar — where youths caught misbehaving with women undergo counselling by religious preachers and psychologists — has been effective. More than 1.6 lakh girls were imparted self-defence training in 2017,” Pathak added.