The Mumbal Police has set up ‘Nirbhaya Squad’ to address cases of crimes against women in the city. This comes a few days after the death of a woman who was raped and brutaly assaulted with a rod in Mumbai’s Sakinaka last week.
“Girls and women who are out of their houses for school, college and job purposes are harassed using phone calls, messages, and/or e-mails. The ‘Nirbhaya Squad’ is being set up with the aim of creating a sense of respect for women in society and creating fear of the law, as well as for the eradication of oppression and harassment of women, a police circular read.
The Mumbai Police has issued a list of guidelines for the ‘Nirbhaya Squad’.
The guidelines are: A woman safety cell should be set up in every police station.
Five mobile patrol vehicles of every police station should be called ‘Nirbhaya Pathak’.
A female officer of ACP or PI rank will be appointed as the nodal officer.
Each squad would comprise one woman PSI or ASI rank officer, one female and one male constable and a driver.
A two-day special training will be given to this squad.
It may be noted that on Monday, Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale had announced a slew of steps to ensure women’s safety in the Maharashtra capital.
The measures include installation of CCTV cameras, lights for lighting up dark areas and intensification of patrolling through marshals and mobile patrol vehicles.
Nagrale directed police personnel to identify deserted stretches with their jurisdiction and intensify patrolling there. If such locations are not lit properly, then police personnel should contact the BMC for the installation of lights.
The top cop also directed that proposals be sent to concerned agencies for the installation of CCTV cameras at such stretches.
Furthermore, all police stations in the state capital city have been asked to prepare a list of offenders arrested in cases of crimes against women or child abuse earlier, and initiate preventive action against such individuals. All distress calls related to women must be swiftly acknowledged by the police control room, Nagrale directed the force.
