Women's Safety: Delhi Police to Recruit 3,000 Lady Cops to Improve Policing

Taking a step towards increasing women safety, LG VK Saxena directs MCD to illuminate dark spots in the city within a month.

File photo

New Delhi: To make the national capital a much safer place for women, Delhi Police will soon recruit 6,000 personnel, where half of them would be women. This initiative will make women feel much safer and can work as a great step toward women's safety. In a recent meeting chaired by LG VK Saxena, the Delhi Police informed on Thursday (February 9) that it will soon recruit nearly 6,000 personnel including 3,000 women to improve policing in the national capital. Saxena stressed the need for increasing the representation of women police personnel in the force.

The LG also instructed for enhanced and visible policing, expediting construction of buildings for fast-track courts dealing with women's safety issues, and integrating street lights with the 311 apps, said a statement from the LG's Office. On being informed that 1,406 dark spots in the city are yet to be illuminated, Saxena directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to complete the work within one month.

Reviewing the matter of illumination of dark spots and timely repair of street lights, the LG expressed dismay that something as basic as street lights, repair, and maintenance, which should happen in the normal course, was being discussed and decided at his level, according to the statement.

He was also apprised by the officials that the 32 judges were appointed in fast-track courts for women's safety, but there was an "acute shortage" of courtrooms for the functioning of the courts.

The Public Works Department (PWD) informed the LG that the matter related to the construction of courtrooms was pending with the Delhi government, since 2017-18, and no decision has been taken in this regard till now, it said.

Saxena said he will take up with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal the issue along with the delay in the replacement of street lights with LEDs. He emphasised the need to augment campaigns of sensitizing young and adolescent boys through gender workshops and amended curricula by the Education department and other agencies concerned, with the view of mitigating social mores and practices that encourage objectification of women, the statement said.

It was also informed in the meeting that the disposal of cases by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) had improved significantly since the last meeting of the task force on women's safety.

The meeting was attended by Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal and senior police and administrative officers.

(With inputs from PTI)