Kolkata Police’s Durga Suraksha Squad on Monday launched a month-long awareness campaign across the city to educate citizens about crimes against women and cyber fraud. The initiative will cover 120 locations under 60 police stations.
A senior Kolkata Police officer said Lalbazar, the city police headquarters, has identified 120 locations for the 30-day campaign aimed at increasing public awareness through outreach programmes in residential neighbourhoods and busy public places.
The Durga Suraksha Squad, formed to strengthen women’s safety through scooter-based patrols, has been assigned additional responsibilities under the campaign. A joint patrol team comprising personnel from local police stations, the Cyber Police Station, Women’s Police Station and women’s cells has been constituted to conduct awareness activities on crimes against women and cyber safety.
Under the programme, members of the squad and joint patrol teams will visit four locations every day across two police station jurisdictions. They will distribute informational leaflets, interact with residents and pedestrians, address public queries, and use loudspeakers and short video clips at key intersections to spread awareness.
To support the campaign, Lalbazar has deployed 10 scooters and a dedicated vehicle for the Durga Suraksha Squad. Local police stations, cyber police units and women’s teams from the intelligence department will provide additional logistical support, while senior officers at the police headquarters will monitor the drive.
The campaign comes amid the West Bengal government’s stated “zero tolerance” policy towards crimes against women. The Durga Suraksha Squad, announced last month, has been tasked with taking immediate action against incidents of harassment in public places.
The state government has also established cyber help desks at police stations to assist victims of online fraud and other cybercrimes.
Women police personnel attached to the squad will continue motorbike patrols across Kolkata. Similar patrol arrangements have also been introduced in parts of the Presidency Range, including Basirhat, Bangaon and Barasat. Police have additionally put in place real-time audio-visual transmission facilities to enable live monitoring and broadcasting of incidents when required.
(With IANS inputs)
