New Delhi: Inspector Shivani Malik of the Delhi Police on Wednesday made history — after being appointed as the Station House Officer of the Hauz Khas police station — the first woman SHO the South District has had in 15 years. After she takes charge, Inspector Malik will also become the only woman to be heading a district police station in Delhi.
Before her appointment, across 170 district police stations in Delhi, not one SHO was a woman. And till recently, there were as few as 21 women in over 100 senior officers of the Delhi Police (DCPs, Addl DCPs, Addl CPs, Joint CPs, and Special CPs).
As of March this year, the Delhi Police had no woman leading a police station. Officers had said, "At the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), there is a woman SHO. Meanwhile, women cells in districts handled by women officers. We have additional SHOs but no woman SHO leading police stations in 15 districts."
However, since Rakesh Asthana took charge as the Delhi Police chief, significant structural changes have been brought, in addition to a slew of transfers. One of them was the transfer of DCPs, appointing six women as DCPs — including in the South District, where Inspector Malik is set to make history.
Malik was recruited in the Delhi Police in 1994 and she was posted in the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) before being posted as the SHO of Hauz Khas PS. She has also worked in Delhi Traffic Police and has been giving self-defence training to women for four years.
Speaking to the Millennium Post, she said that her prime focus will be to take stern strategy to control the organized crime, snatching, theft and cases of robbery in the area, once she takes charge. Further, she will meet the female family members of the RWAs in the Hauz Khas area to discuss their safety.
The newly appointed station head of Hauz Khas PS also feels that as the cases of economic offences are increasing across the Capital city, especially in the South District, her experience of EOW will help her as well.
According to Inspector Malik, she gets a chance to work with all officers, male or female, because they are trained in the same way.
South District DCP, Benita Mary Jaiker, who is set to take charge soon, said, "I am glad that everyone is being given an equal opportunity. Officers of all genders are tested by the same exams and training. There was no disparity then… there should be none now. I hope I live up to expectations."
"When I joined Delhi Police as a probationer 10 years ago, I was posted in the South district. I was working during the December 2012, gangrape-murder case. I feel I am familiar with the district and work. There will be new challenges for a DCP, but I am ready," she added.