Police have set up 30 “safety islands” for women in collaboration with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, as an experiment in the first phase. The other 20 kiosks for the project under the ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ scheme will be installed in the second phase at vulnerable points like slums, near malls and areas with IT companies.
The safety island booth comprises an SOS or a panic button along with a speaker above it. In times of distress, you can simply press that button following which a female cop will receive your call within a span of 10 seconds from a nearby command centre or control room. The official then alerts a nearby police station or patrol vehicle to ensure it reaches the spot within five to 10 minutes.
A CCTV camera will also be attached near the kiosk as soon as someone approaches it and presses the panic button. The camera will get activated and capture the activity in and around the booth. Apart from this, the camera will also have a siren that will start ringing.
“I think the kiosk is a great initiative; they should be installed at different places for women’s safety,” said Bengaluru resident Sameeha.
“This is the best option because some women work the night shift and they log out at midnight when safety is an issue. Recently, a woman got molested by a Rapido employee. I feel this would ensure the safety of women; we will feel safe even if there’s no one around. I got to know about this recently and we must raise awareness about it,” said Devi, another city resident whose workplace has a safety island booth nearby.
A police official explained the implementation of the project and how the whole process works once a call goes through. “As soon as we note down the incident and a description, police go to the spot as soon as possible. Once a person uses the SOS button, the camera will be focused there to understand the situation and what has happened to the person in trouble. Once we take stock of the situation, the information will be conveyed and police are dispatched. Some patrol vehicles have been arranged only for this purpose. The public is not yet aware about this new project but we haven’t received any complaints yet,” said a police official.
