Shakthi gets closer to public

Visakhapatnam: A sense of triumph overwhelms women police constables (WPC) P Swathi and S K Karishma when they narrate how they nabbed three eve-teasers and handed them over to police station.

Adjusting her cap, D Bhoolakshmi, another WPC, takes pride in joining the other cops to offer a 30-minute-long awareness session about the power of 'Shakthi' in schools and colleges and the need to dial 100 or 112 or 1090 when they come across any sort of trouble, including eve-teasing and stalking.

From nabbing the trouble-mongers to offering relief to those suffering harassment at workplaces, hosting awareness camps in schools, colleges and neighbourhoods to winning public's trust, the 10-day-old all-women Shakthi teams, launched as part of 'Mahilalaku Cheruvaga,' reach out to women and lay emphasis on approaching the team to save them from troubles.

Come rain or shine, these women cops in blue shirt and khaki trousers step into the scene of offence and try reaching out to victims as fast as possible. "Once we get the information from police control room, the nearest Shakthi team will be attached to the complainant. There were women who came to us asking for our personal contact numbers to discuss the harassment they experience at workplace," says K Sailaja, who is part of the Shakthi team.

Armed with five specially-designed four-wheelers that have GPS tracking system, tabs and VHF sets along with 20 two-wheelers, the 35-member Shakthi team works from 8 am to 8 pm aims at keeping a check on growing crimes against women and ensuring their safety, making field trips, visiting vulnerable junctions, interacting with general public, attending to complaints and cracking cases.

"Of late, people are shedding their fear they used to have about approaching the police. They now contact us dialing more frequently than ever. Glad to know that we have gained their confidence which will eventually bring down the crime rate in the city," shares K Nagalakshmi, woman ASI at Women Police Station, who also coordinates with the Shakthi team along with WPCs and home guards.

'Shakthi' has dealt with over a dozen complaints so far, including nabbing a drug peddler. Based on the request placed, the Shakthi team also protects the identity of the victim. Those who want to maintain confidentiality can also key in their complaint to Commissioner of Police's WhatsApp no: 9493336633. Next time, if you find someone stalking, teasing or harassing you at any place, help is just a dial away.