Seven pink patrol vehicles in Coimbatore to reach out to women in distress

Recently, a 19-year-old, miss miffed with her parents, near her location municipality Salem and travelled to Coimbatore. As she prepared to spend the night at the bus stand, a squad of women cops from the Pink Patrol squad stepped in and helped her reunite with her family. Special Sub Inspector N Rohini recounts the story arsenic we hop on a thrust with her earlier halting astatine an acquisition instauration for an consciousness session. “Will you get frightened if idiosyncratic threatens you online?” asks SSI K Ganga Devi to a radical of college-goers and says, “You have to call these numbers to get contiguous assistance if you consciousness unsafe successful immoderate situation.”

Seven gleaming pinkish vehicles, piloted by women police to prevent crimes against women and children, tin present beryllium spotted on arterial roads in the city, acquisition institutions, autobus stands, and railway stations wherever women’s footfall is high. As each vehicles are equipped with GPS, erstwhile a pistillate makes a distress call, either done Dial 100 oregon Safe Kovai (SaKo) poles equipped with CCTV cameras and SOS functions astatine autobus stops across the city, the closest Pink Patrol conveyance reaches them to offer help.

“Presence of caput is essential,” says A Saravana Sundar, Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore. “If idiosyncratic is successful distress, staying alert tin assistance them instrumentality speedy action. They have to know the place, radical around, and a imaginable flight way successful lawsuit of an emergency. The Kaaval Uthavi app has a trigger diagnostic wherever erstwhile a user’s telephone is shaken 3 times, an SOS is sent automatically to the control room. Many situations tin beryllium avoided with a caput that is aware.”

The Pink Patrol conveyance operates 24/7, staffed by 1 driver and a pistillate constabulary officer. They respond immediately to distress calls from women, connection counselling, and coordinate with adjacent stations to resolve complaints. “On average, the unit receives four to five calls a day and has already rescued 4 women. We besides behaviour consciousness programmes astatine acquisition institutions, hospitals, airports, and bus stops on topics including women’s safety and child extortion (POCSO). The patrol is often astir colleges, schools, moving women’s hostels, and bus stops to keep a check on bullying,” says G Karthikeyan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South)

While the recent incidental of a young pistillate in the city has triggered conversations implicit women’s safety, it besides brings to the fore women’s freedom, unfortunate blaming, and mental health. “What is the root cause?” asks Swati Jagdish, psychologist and sexuality wellness educator. “If a pistillate calls for help, the police scope wrong minutes. That immediate safety net matters. What are we doing arsenic a society to prevent these situations?” she says, adding that long-term safety has to start with aboriginal sex education. “We need to talk to boys astir consent, boundaries, body autonomy successful a practical, age-appropriate way. We underestimate however overmuch boys transportation frustration, anger, distorted ideas astir masculinity, and the influence of online content. Without affectional regulation, it comes retired successful harmful ways.”

According to NV Sreejaya, advocate, India and Solicitor England & Wales, women’s safety is imaginable lone erstwhile nine recognises a woman’s right to say no to a man and her right to walk distant from a narration oregon matrimony wherever she feels unhappy oregon unsafe. “Silent and unresponsive bystanders go enablers of violence and unwittingly help the perpetrators of specified crimes. Women’s safety does not prevarication successful getting them location earlier it gets dark, it lies successful getting the men to behave amended under the cover of darkness. In this, nine has a ample role to play by bringing astir changes successful cognition some successful men and women themselves.”

Salini Balasubramniam, who moved to Coimbatore 3 years agone for studies and is present a full-time nonrecreational here, says, “While successful college, the ‘Police Akka’ programme was helpful and educated us on where to report our safety concerns. At the workplace, we are introduced to POSH rules. The city is functional and busy until 10pm. If I have to travel for immoderate matter, careless of the time, I indispensable rely on myself —actively tracking my ride and sharing my unrecorded determination with my friends, roommates oregon my parent. With the recent speech going around, women’s safety has made america rely on sources similar Kavalan apps.”

Dr V Naveen Kumar, psychiatrist astatine Manam Behavioural Medicine Clinic & Medical Director, of Abhasa luxury Rehabilitation and Wellness Centre , says: “Women are perpetually told to be cautious, but safety is not the burden of women alone. Young radical should besides beryllium alert of SOS tools, telephone apps, cab safety buttons, metropolis helplines etc. Parents should teach civic sense, consent, and boundaries to boys and girls. Parenting with mental-health consciousness helps successful raising a unchangeable child.”

After a patrol astir Race Course and a chat with evening walkers, we wrapper up the ride with a deeper knowing of women’s safety. Adds A Saravana Sundar, City Commissioner, “Women should ne'er hesitate to approach for help. We person dedicated women officers astatine each level, from constable rank to AC and DC level to handle cases sensitively. In cyber transgression cases, we person retrieved compromised photos and videos, tracked down offenders, arrested them, and prevented misuse,” helium says, adding, “Keep the surroundings secure, guarantee CCTV works, and follow simple safety practices. One has to be alert, beryllium it location oregon outside.”