MP’s Datia collector pioneers ‘panic buttons with siren system’ installation for enhanced women’s safety

Bhopal: The first of its kind in Madhya Pradesh, collector of Datia Sandeep Mawkin has introduced a novel initiative – the installation of ‘pink panic buttons and siren system’ in the district hospital, a step towards ensuring women’s safety.

The pink panic alarm system has been installed at seven strategic locations across the hospital’s three buildings with three sirens. The hospital is also the medical facility centre of Datia Medical College.

Talking to Millennium Post, Mawkin, who is a 2010 batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, said that the CCTV cameras are often only helpful post facto when a crime has occurred. Keeping in mind such a concern, the initiative of setting up a siren system has been taken to ensure women’s safety in the hospital and medical college campus.

”Recognising the need for more proactive safety measures, a public siren system has now been installed on the hospital campus with seven panic buttons and three sirens placed strategically around the campus, each with a range of 2 km,” the collector said.

“The system is designed to immediately alert the common public and law enforcement in case of an emergency. The aim is to prevent incidents like sexual harassment in the hospital, stopping perpetrators before they can act,” he added.

The system will prevent such incidents from happening in the first place and avoid having to rely on CCTV footage, he added. However, CCTV cameras have been installed at sensitive locations in the hospital, he said.

In case the siren is triggered, police and other security arrangements can be deployed quickly, which would deter individuals from committing acts such as sexual harassment.

“Ideally, the perpetrators will either flee or be apprehended before the incident occurs. This will help in preventing such incidents altogether,” the collector said.

These alarms are designed to enhance the security of female doctors, nursing staff and patients, providing them with immediate access to police assistance if needed. The pink panic alarm system allows any staff member to trigger an alarm in case of an emergency. Once activated, a siren installed on the roof of the building will go off, alerting security guards and the police stationed nearby.