Home Minister M. Sucharitha has exhorted women constable trainees to render service with confidence and offer protection to the people.

Speaking at the passing-out parade of the 19th batch of women constables (Civil, Armed Reserve, Communication) here on Friday, she said the government had endeared itself to all sections of people by implementing a host of welfare schemes under Navaratnalu.

‘Spandana a hit’

The novel ‘Spandana’ initiative had evoked a very good response from the people, who included those from the marginalised sections of society, she said. The innovatively-designed programme had facilitated resolution of public grievances in a time-bound manner, she added.

The Disha Act had ushered in a woman-friendly ambiance in the State, she said.

In all, 398 women constables were trained at the Police Training Centre.

Director General of Police D. Gautham Sawang said the decision of the government to give weekly off to the police personnel had a rejuvenating effect on them and improved their efficiency. Statistics stand testimony to improvement in police functioning with 88% case disposal rate and 64% conviction rate, compared to 78% disposal rate and 58% conviction rate earlier.

Since the launch of ‘Spandana’, 83,082 petitions had been received from public, a majority of them women, and as many as 18,813 petitions had been converted into FIRs. The 98% disposal rate had been achieved, he said. Specially designed Integrated Crime Scene Management Vehicle, Disha Bus’, was being introduced to ensure that the victim could be heard in privacy from the crime scene itself, he said.

The State Police had pro actively worked to ensure speedy investigation and better conviction, resulting in three death penalties, two 20-year Rigorous Imprisonment (RI), five 10-years RIs and eight 7-year RIs, and a total of 74 convictions since the passage of Disha Bill.

The Disha App had seen 11 lakh downloads in the shortest time and found to be very useful for women in case of medical emergencies during COVID-19 pandemic.

Two-wheeler patrols

“Over 900 two-wheeler patrols by women police personnel will be launched shortly. Every single person of the 50,000-strong police force has been connected through video-conferencing, especially in times of the pandemic when physical distancing is of paramount importance,” he explained.

Awards were presented to B. Anusha (Best All-Rounder Civil, Best in Outdoor Civil), T. Ramya Sri (Best All-Rounder AR), A. Prasanna Lakshmi (Best All-Rounder Communication), Sk. Ayesha (Best in Indoor Civil), M. Chandra Kala (Best in Firing Civil), C. Swathi (Best in Indoor AR), A. Chandana (Best in Outdoor AR) and P. Alleswari (Best in Firing AR). A. Chandana from Nellore district acted as parade commander.