Kerala - Kochi   

Steps to improve security for women

LAW &ORDER A helpline for women and children will be set up soon, writes Anand Haridas

The police are fine-tuning measures to ensure more security for women and children. The force is going to implement steps like a helpline and also a complaint card exclusively for this group.

A group of college students presented a petition to Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ernakulam Range, K. Padmakumar recently calling for more police support in fighting crime against women.

"A meeting of all officers will be held on Saturday to prepare an action plan based on this petition," said Mr. Padmakumar. The meeting is expected to finalise strategies like assigning plainclothesmen in buses and at bus stops during rush hours. The students also requested for a toll-free telephone number to register such cases.

"A helpline for women and children will be set up soon, in association with Idea Mobile Communications," said P. Vijayan, City Police Commissioner. The helpline will be handled by the Women's Cell of the police. A woman Circle Inspector will head the cell.

A complaint card, a green one after yellow for complaint against autorickshaw service and red for buses, will be brought out soon.

"Unlike the other two cards, which involves petty cases, the complaints of crime against women and children are more serious. We are working on the modalities of this step," Mr. Vijayan said.

The complaint cards for autorickshaws and buses are available with the traffic police personnel. However, it has not been finalised where the green cards will be available.

Effort will be made to clear the stigma of a police station attached to the women's cell, because the cell will be handling mostly cases related to family issues. "We will like to arrange family counselling sessions, at least twice in a week at the cell," he said.

Local police stations have already been asked to refer cases involving domestic violence and tension in family to the women's cell.

Also, adalats are being planned at village level in association with the Kudumbasree units.

"This is essential because we want to communicate the message that the cell is working towards reconciliation and not punitive action.

Our prime concern will be preventing families from breaking up," Mr. Vijayan said.

The decision to revamp the women's cell is, in a way, triggered by the increasing cases at the family courts.

The police are worried about the social impact of families breaking up.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Kerala Travel Mart to begin on Wednesday
Steps to improve security for women
Modernise legal education, says Minister
In Kochi Today

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu