Now women cops in Patna to look ‘nice’ and bait molesters!
Patna: with more and more media focus on cases of eve teasing and molestations in Patna, the police department has decided to nab the roving criminals with the help of women cops. The plan is to use women cops as lures and baits under the protection of their male counterparts. Patna senior superintendent of police Alok Kumar told the press that the constables at the Women’s Helpline, a wing of the city police that dealing with offences towards women, will be a part of the new campaign. It seems that such an attempt was made earlier but without sufficient protection from male colleagues in plain clothes. This will also allow the women cops to carry out the job even after dark, which is what the plan is.
According to sources, the women constables concerned have been asked to dress “nicely” to look attractive. With policemen in civil clothes nearby, the cops will move in and around crowded shopping complexes, malls and theatres. According to the police’s observation, the really troublesome eve teasers sit in groups and move around in public places. The Women’s Helpline, formed six months ago, has done a good job and the cell received a lot of calls from women victims and action has been taken. The helpline dealt with at least 500 cases in the past six months.
Selecting crowded places seems a good idea to begin with. But it is perhaps the relatively isolated areas with few pedestrians that deserve due attention. These are areas where the molesters find victims easily and are also able to get away. A suggestion – the police may check on sites favoured by e. g. chain snatchers or other attacks in the past to decide on the trend and then accordingly plan their movement and recce.
By targeting ‘groups’ of boys though, the police department seems to have got its social profile right. The fact is that in a public place, such groups are often identified by their look and behavior quite easily. Women, unlike men are especially sensitive to such potential trouble and tend to keep a distance. Of course, in the case of a woman cop, she would have to spot such groups and stay close if anything to attract attention. Rarely does a single and unaccompanied boy/man dare indulge in eve teasing and when they do the offence may remain confined to a remark or two. Also, the reason passers by fail o react to molestation attempts by large groups is quite obvious – the group is united and the passers by take a lot of time before they may take united action, which often depends on individual initiative.
The new police drive has come in the wake of the shocking eve-teasing incident on October 13 when two men, abused and molested a girl accompanied by her father near the Income Tax roundabout. see- [http://www.bihardays.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=18456&action=edit]
[courtesy: The Telegraph]