VISAKHAPATNAM: Director General of Police (DGP) Gautam Sawang has said several initiatives were launched to make Andhra Pradesh a safe place for women. He said, “Women’s safety is of prime concern to the police and in this regard, more Disha Police Stations and dedicated courts will be set up soon.”
Addressing Mahila Mitras here on Saturday, he said that 32 lakh downloads have been made on the Disha App till now. All help will be provided to ensure women’s safety in the State. The DGP also informed that to provide more security for women, each ward, henceforth, will have a woman police officer.
“It is people’s individual and collective responsibility to raise awareness regarding protection and development of women,” he said. The DGP also said that the role of Mahila Mitras and women police officers is pivotal in providing safety and security to women. To provide safety and security to women with the help of technology, Cyber Mitra was launched in 2019, the DGP said.
The team has been successful in cracking several hacking and other crimes against women and also giving the victims necessary protection. He said that the Disha SOS App has been designed in a way to aid women as quickly as possible. “As per the GO No. 59 passed on June 23, 2021, 15,000 new Mahila Mitras have been appointed across the State,” Sawang said.
Stating that the crime has dropped by four per cent from 2019 to 2020, he credited the decrease in crime rate to the addition of 18 courts, 16 special courts, forensic labs, chemical analysis among others. Disha ACP Prem Kajal, speaking on the occasion, said that all the necessary measures have been taken to deploy women constables in every village and ward secretariat to help uphold the law and order in the rural areas.