Women Safety: Black belt trained female cops to check harassment in city

Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate of Police have set up a special unit of female officers and personnel for women facing harassment or eve-teasing while commuting or over phone and messages.

Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda said, “An SP-ranked officer leads the team and specially trained personnel are part of it. We even have Black Belt trained female police personnel in this special team.”

According to Panda, a call to this team is sufficient for the cops to reach the victim. “There is no need for the woman to go to a police station and file a complaint. The team members are well trained to deal with the harassers,” he said.

Citing a recent case, the Police Commissioner said a young woman was being harassed by a youth over lewd messages and the former reached out to the special unit. Soon after this, a trap was laid and the youth was caught by the cops.

“His cell phone was taken into possession and all such messages and the victim’s numbers were deleted. He was warned of stringent action if he continued with harassing the woman or anyone else. After this action, the complainant was very happy and reported that she did not face any such incident further,” Panda said.

During festivals and other congregations this special team has played a crucial role in ensuring safety and security of women. “The programme has been launched as a pilot and results have been very encouraging. We plan to equip and strengthen the team further,” Panda added.