Surakshita app helped reduce crime against women by 28% in 7 months

Rajkot: Rajkot city police on Friday bagged national award for its Surakshita mobile application launched in December last year. The app has been designed to provide immediate help to women travelling alone for job or classes.
The award, known as highest civilian honour, is conferred by Delhi-based independent organization SKOCH. Rajkot won the award in silver category.
This award covers the best efforts in the area of digital,financial and social inclusion. There were 500 participants all were government agencies like municipal corporations and police departments.
Surakshita application, designed on the concepts of Himmat app launched by Delhi police, helps a woman get connected with one number of police control room and one number of her family members after downloading.
Data of nearly 30,000 auto rickshaws registered in the city has also been included in this app. When a woman travels in any auto, she has to scan a barcode while travelling, which will give cops total information about the auto in case of need.
As soon as the app is opened, police control room can track live location of the phone. The app has a panic button, which, if pressed, will fetch cops to the spot within minutes.
Rajkot police commissioner Manoj Agarwal said “It’s good that our efforts are appreciated. There was a lockdown so the use of this app was decreased but I believe that in coming days this app will help to reduce offences against women. We want more women to download this app and use while travelling alone.”
Rajkot police statement claims they have received 3,818 calls till date since December 2019.
All the calls had been attended to promptly, the release said, adding that crime rate related to women have decreased by 27.65 percent, thanks to the app. Altogether 94 offences related to women were registered in the first six months of 2019, while 68 offences were registered in the corresponding period of 2020.
Rajkot police also formed Durga Shakti team comprising women cops in each police station to handle complaints related to women and also respond to calls from this mobile application.