Top cop flags off new fleet of vehicles for women squads

Kolkata: Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, Anuj Sharma on Monday flagged off 40 scooters and 27 cars as a part of the 'Respect Women' initiative.

According to Sharma, Kolkata Police had earlier formed a special women team styled as the 'Winners', who have been engaged in patrolling crowded places across the city for safety and security of women.

During their patrolling, several people were arrested for teasing women and molesting them. "To strengthen the squad, we have increased the members of the Winners team. Out of 40, 30 scooters will be assigned in the divisions of Kolkata Police," Sharma said on Monday.

Apart from strengthening the Winners team, 27 cars with women constables and officials were also flagged off on Monday. These cars are equipped with advanced systems like GPS. Earlier, Kolkata Police had seven 'Shakti' teams which patrol across the city at night.

In case of any incident where women are involved, Shakti teams are called in. To increase their number, 27 more cars have now been added to their fleet. These cars will be patrolling the city and will be called when any such situation occurs.

On Friday, Sharma had launched the new and advanced Bandhu smartphone application, during the pre-Christmas celebration at Allen Park in Park Street.

In the earlier application there was no panic button, which is now present in its current iteration. Mobile numbers of two persons can be added in the application, who will get a message along with the police

if the panic button is pressed. The step has been taken keeping the security of women in mind.

Once the panic button is pressed, it will alert the police control room in Lalbazar. As soon as the alert gets received, police will call up the number from which the alert has been sent. They will also be able to track the location of the person in distress.