Pink booths, all-women ‘shining’ patrols rolled out to bolster security; booths will function from 5 pm to 11 pm

Kolkata: Women travelling during evening and late-night hours will have direct access to women police personnel at key intersections and on major roads following the launch of all-women Pink Booths and “Shining” mobile patrol teams by Kolkata Police on Saturday.

Five Pink Booths have been set up at Shyambazar Five-Point Crossing, Kankurgachi, Hudco (Ultadanga) Crossing, Gariahat and Behala Chowrasta. The booths will function from 5 pm to 11 pm and will be staffed entirely by women officers and personnel. The initiative has been introduced on a pilot basis along with five pink-coloured “Shining” all-women patrol vehicles, which will patrol from 8 pm to 2 am along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and other major roads frequently used by working women at night.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the initiatives earlier in the day in a post on X, stating that the measures were aimed at increasing the safety and confidence of women in the city. “Kolkata has continued to be the safest city in the country over the years, and I am sure these two unique initiatives will go a long way in further strengthening that record,” she wrote.

Kolkata CP Supratim Sarkar inaugurated the Pink Booths and the Shining mobile patrol vehicles. “These initiatives have been taken with the objective of further ensuring and strengthening the safety and security of working women during their commute, particularly those who return home from office during the evening and late-night hours,” Sarkar said.

Each booth has access to CCTV feeds of the surrounding area, wireless communication systems and telephones, along with a first-aid box, a changing room and washroom facilities for women staff.

“It is believed that if such booths are run entirely by women personnel, women commuters will feel more comfortable sharing their problems,” Sarkar said.

On the second initiative, he said the name “Shining” for the mobile patrol teams was given by the Chief Minister.

“The aim is that when women returning home late at night see uniformed women officers on patrol, they will feel more secure. The objective of Kolkata Police is not only that every woman in the city is safe and secure, but that she also feels safe and secure,” he said.