Be bold & firm: Medak SP

Medak SP G Chandana Deepti speaks about the need to recognise talents of women, safety measures taken by district police and bad parenting on International Women’s Day.

Excerpts:

What is your message to women on the occasion of International Women’s Day-2017?
Women should recognise their talents and with whatever resources available with them, with confidence, they need to seek help from others when necessary in order to achieve their goals. Discrimination against women is still there, but with self-confidence and hard work, it can be overcome. Girls/women should take challenges positively and use whatever information they have at their disposal to create awareness among uneducated girls/women.

It’s been four months since districts have been reorganised. Are the women feeling any safer now than they used to be before?
One of the achievements of the Medak police in terms of protecting young girls and women is reducing sexual harassment in public places. Thanks to our SHE Teams, girls don’t have anything to be worried now.

What are the activities the department has been undertaking to protect girls/women in Medak district?
Girls/women can use Whatsapp to communicate directly with us now. We are also going to start a website soon with live chat between the police and the public every day. We are also launching ‘Dial-your-SP’ once a week in addition to Prajavani grievance day every week on Monday.

We are also going to put grievance boxes in bus stands, police stations and other public places. Not only victims, but also friends, neighbours or relatives who may see a girl/woman in distress can lodge their grievances in those boxes. We will keep their identity anonymous.

We are also doing community policing by interacting with people in villages using our Village Police Officers. We are also offering first counselling to girls/women in distress. We are also going to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in police department.

We have been conducting six activities every day to empower and protect girls/women. We are also holding demonstrations, pasting posters on social evils/issues, conducting sports meets and job festivals. In fact, we have been taking an active part in making villages Open Defecation-free (ODF).

Is CHETANA campaign which was started by former SP of United Medak B Sumathi is being continued?
In every police circle, the campaign to address family issues through counselling is being carried out. Availability of professional psychologists at mandal-level is a problem. But the programme will be continued. Bad parenting is also a challenge affecting children in rural areas. Alcoholic parents make weak-minded children.