Press the SOS button in times of distress and the police official receives a call from the control room within 10 seconds.
Bengaluru Police in collaboration with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike have set up 30 ‘safety islands’ for women, as an experiment in the first phase. The other 20 kiosks under the ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ scheme will be installed in the second phase for the project at vulnerable points like near malls, slums, and areas with IT companies.
The safety island booth comprises a panic button or an SOS or a speaker above it. Personnel can simply press a button in times of distress, following which a lady cop will receive the call from a nearest command centre or control room within 10 seconds. The official further alerts a nearby patrol vehicle or police station to ensure it reaches the site within five to 10 minutes.
A CCTV camera will also be installed near the kiosk as soon as someone tries to approach it and presses the panic button. The camera gets activated and captures any activity in and around the booth. Besides, the camera will also have a siren that starts 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.
“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.
