Awareness campaigns on the Disha app have been intensified in Visakhapatnam district for the past month. Disha police personnel and senior women officers have been holding awareness sessions at educational institutions, work places, supermarkets, business establishments, malls, tourist spots and also through online platforms and explaining the safety features of the app and how a citizen in distress could reach the police.
“It is important for women and girls to have this app installed to get help during emergencies that could arise any time. All they need to do is just shake the mobile phone by opening the app,” says a senior officer.
Over 200 SOS calls
The inspector of the Disha police station, K Nirmala, says close to 1.93 lakh have installed the app in the district. The station has received around 210 SOS calls till now out of which many were counselled and 26 cases registered. The alerts were found to be mostly test calls. “The police have swung into action after receiving the distress calls and many women have been saved from trouble. In a recent case in Pendurthi the accused was arrested after the victim had informed the police through the Disha app,” she explains.
Meanwhile, with an aim to control eve-teasing, stalking and open drinking, the Disha police have also started to deploy special women police patrolling teams along the coastal stretch. The teams have been given seven scooters and a four-wheeler for the purpose. All the city police stations have been made women-friendly by arranging women police constables as receptionists.
