CHANDIGARH: Women officers in the Punjab Police have emerged at the forefront of modern policing, overseeing high-impact anti-gangster crackdowns while driving community-focused initiatives.
They are redefining leadership within the force, leading key operations such as Gangstran Te Vaar and Operation Parhaar.
The growing presence of women in leadership roles has positioned the state police among the country’s more “progressive” forces. At present, around 79 women officers are serving in roles ranging from Special Director General of Police to Deputy Superintendent of Police.
According to Punjab Police records, the force includes four Special DGPs, one Additional DGP, two Inspectors General of Police and two Deputy Inspectors General. Among other senior ranks, 18 women officers are serving as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), AIG or Commandant (of these three are posted as SSPs) along with 23 SPs, one ASP and 28 DSPs.
Out of these, five officers are heading field positions, which require them to supervise and take part in operations such as ‘Gangstran te Vaar’. These officers are well trained in technology and have strong expertise in tackling crime across the state.
Senior Superintend of Police of Faridkot, Pragya Jain said that modern policing is defined by competence and coordination rather than gender.
“I firmly believe policing is about competence, courage and commitment not gender. In operations like ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’, women officers have demonstrated all three. Anti-gangster drives involving coordinated crackdowns show that modern policing is intelligence-driven and team-led.”
“Women officers lead from the front at planning and execution stages. In a specific instance, during a late-night operation targeting a habitual offender network, our lady PCR team secured local intelligence from women in the locality, something male teams often struggle with that input directly led to arrests the next morning,” she added.
She further said that they resort to evidence-based questioning and stay calm under psychological pressure thereby resulting in success stories.
“Whether it is man or woman, every officer in uniform carries the same responsibility.,” she said.
Inspector General of Police, Faridkot Range, Nilambari Jagdale emphasized that the Gangstran Te Vaar campaign is focused on dismantling criminal ecosystems at their roots.
“With a firm resolve to eradicate gangsterism, drug trafficking and organised crime from the roots. The primary objective of this campaign is to reach the roots of criminal networks, completely dismantle their operations and further strengthen the sense of security among the general public. In this series, ‘Operation Prahar 1.0’ and ‘Operation Prahar 2.0’ were launched,” she said.
“I think the female officers are performing a great job in the coordination and Punjab Police has a great skill set of police personnel. We have handled various cases under operation Gangstran Te Vaar, and the challenges always differ,’’ she added.
SSP of Khanna Dr Darpan Ahluwalia highlighted the growing importance of community participation in strengthening policing outcomes.
“Khanna Police is strengthening community participation as a core strategy. While often termed soft policing, this approach has shown strong on-ground impact, especially in identified hotspots tackled jointly with the civil administration.
“Through ‘Ghar Ghar Sampark Muhim’, our teams are engaging directly with citizens while dressed in civilian clothes, going door to door, addressing grievances and gathering vital human intelligence,‘’ she said.