Bengaluru: Amid rising concerns over the safety of women in the city and crime against them being the most debated topic, the Bengaluru police are trying hard to instil confidence among women and are ensuring a safe environment for them.The city police are all set to roll out Pink Hoysala Teams - a patrolling service exclusively to ensure speedy response for women in distress.
The city police will introduce as many as 51 Pink Hoysala vehicles, each manned by three police personnel, including a woman head constable. The vehicles will be flagged off by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Home Minister G. Parameshwar on Monday.
A department source said that the vehicles will be deployed in areas where the presence and movement of women are high. The Pink Police teams will keep vigil against eve-teasing and other crimes targeted at women, besides reaching the crime spot immediately on being informed by the police control room. "The vehicles will be deployed near schools and women colleges, temples, garment factories and other places where the presence of women is high and also places where there is a high probability of anti-social activities targeted against women. The police personnel, who are manning these vehicles, were given special training," the source told Deccan Chronicle.
Each vehicle is equipped with a GPS unit and camera and will be closely monitored from the police control room, which will continuously keep tracking the vehicle's movement on a TV screen. Once a complaint is received on 100, the nearest vehicle to the crime scene would be informed. Unlike earlier, the process, after the introduction of Pink Hoysalas, would be less time-consuming, the source said. The division-wise deployment of vehicles is calculated based on the presence and movement of women. The plan to introduce Pink Hoysala teams was announced by Dr Parameshwar during the assembly session in March. He had also said that the service would be extended to all other districts in the future.
Shwetha, a software engineer with an MNC, told DC that the move is highly appreciable and showed the commitment of Bengaluru police towards the safety and security of women. "As we work in shifts, we come across stalking incidents more often and we live in fear of being attacked. We cannot stop working just because of these threats. It is the police's concern towards our safety that gives us hope," she said.
From Abhaya to Pink Police
Earlier in 2013, the police had introduced 'Abhaya' - the all-woman patrolling teams - to respond to problems concerning women quickly. As many as seven vehicles in each division were introduced that were on patrol round-the-clock. The police, however, have now replaced the Abhaya with Pink Hoysala, claiming it to be a full-fledged and improvised patrol service.
Karnataka has taken a cue from its neighbour Kerala, which already has Pink Police patrolling.
Women police in Kerala
Karnataka has taken a cue from its neighbour Kerala, which already has Pink Police patrolling. Five vehicles have been introduced in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. The patrolling in the two cities is carried out between 8 am and 8 pm. "Unlike in Kerala, we have introduced the patrolling system on a grander scale. Moreover, our vehicles will be on road round-the-clock," a police official said.
