A special squad of female officers on scooters will soon make Kolkata's streets safer for women. Twenty-odd female officers will be handpicked from across the force for the SHE squad.
This will be a first for Kolkata in terms of an all-women squad on two-wheelers.
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Know more about the squad and how it will function:-
- The candidates would be given new scooters for official duty.
- The focus of the SHE project is the surrounding areas of girls' schools and colleges, lakes and shopping malls where women's footfall is high.
Sources said experienced female officers with a proven record in detection of crime in various cases would be trained for SHE
- The city currently has eight all-women police stations. According to sources, female officers from these police stations and other departments will be picked for the new project.
- Calcutta police currently have 113 female sub-inspectors, 131 assistant sub-inspectors and 444 constables committed to women's safety.
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All-women squads in Delhi
In response to the surge in cases of street crime against women, Delhi police launched a squad of 600-odd bike-borne female officers last year.They are armed with guns, pepper sprays and body cameras. Members of the squad are called Raftaar (speed) and they move in pairs.
Besides that, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has deployed ‘Flying Squads’ in connecting subways and dark areas of Delhi Metro stations. These Flying Squads are women combat groups of CISF commandos. They are trained in the martial art, “Pekiti-Tirsia- Kali”. Moreover, the women commandos are expert in evacuation techniques, free-style combat, fighting in enclosed areas and taking on armed opponents bare handed. These squads will patrol in areas where CISF does not provide security.