THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state police are all set to expand the Pink patrol scheme to more cities in the state on the occasion of the first anniversary of the scheme on Tuesday. Pink Patrol, the woman safety scheme of city police, was launched on August 15 last year as part of its efforts to improve the safety of women in public places. Though it was begun in the capital city as a pilot project, later, it was implemented in cities such as Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam, Kannur, Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kottayam.
According to the police, the Pink Patrol team, comprising solely of women cops, with new vehicles equipped with most modern communication systems, has now become a model for the country. After some initial hiccups, phone calls began to pour in the number 1515 provided exclusively for Pink Patrol help. Altogether, in the last one year, as many as 17,820 calls have been received in Pink Control rooms, not only from the cities but from remote areas as well, police said.