CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday ordered the statewide rollout of the Singappen Adhiradi Padai (Singappen Special Force-SSF), sanctioning 2,545 posts, patrol vehicles, surveillance drones and body-worn cameras for the all-women policing unit that will deploy across all police subdivisions in the state.
The ambitious SSF was launched by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
Speaking at the launch, the CM asserted that drugs must be eradicated for women’s safety and the new force will play a vital role in preventive policing to stop crimes before they occur. “For the first time in India, drone patrolling will be introduced to prevent crimes against women,” he said.
The CM said the roots for crime against women could be invariably traced to drugs and that menace had to be eradicated first. Taking a dig at the previous regimes led by the DMK and the AIADMK, the CM said, “This (drug menace) didn’t just sprout out of nowhere overnight. This is a problem that has been around for years.”
‘SSF recruitment will gradually increase’
“Because it was ignored for all these years, the roots have grown this deep. I don’t really need to be the one to tell you who ignored it all this time; you know it very well. Talking about that now is useless. First, this prevalence of drugs must be uprooted,” Vijay added.
He expressed confidence that once the drug menace is eliminated, women’s safety will improve and this will lead to a better law and order situation. “Women should lead a dignified life at educational institutes, offices and other places free of fear. That is our primary target,” he said.
“I have been speaking softly so far, but the punishment for those who threaten or disturb women’s safety will be severe. This is a warning to anyone who believes they can harass women and escape the consequences.
The filing of chargesheets and the process of securing punishment will be swift, but the police must ensure that no innocent person is wrongly implicated. Only when offenders receive strict punishment will it serve as a deterrent to those contemplating similar crimes.”
Explaining about the special force, Vijay said that the government is set to allocate a total of Rs 354 crore in the first phase to create 2,500 new posts.
The special force will concentrate on preventing stalking of women, sexual harassment, kidnapping, lewd comments, and other crimes against women. The special force will be used for field work and preventive action, so that the all women police in the state can concentrate more on investigation and securing punishments for accused in other cases, he said.
Vijay concluded his speech saying that the government understands the dreams and expectations of women, and it is working to implement them gradually.
“A true safe society is not one where women are told to be careful or are protected only by police presence, but where responsibility becomes collective. Singappen is not merely about protecting women but it is about building a society with a changed mindset,” Director General of Police and Head of Police Force Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal said.
Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Home, Prohibition and Excise Department, K Manivasan also spoke.
What is Singappen Special Force ?
Around 70 patrol teams, each comprising four women personnel, will be deployed in the first phase. The force will focus on preventive policing in vulnerable locations during morning and night hours.
According to the order, the SSF will comprise 270 field units covering all police subdivisions and police ranges. The sanctioned strength includes 540 Sub-Inspectors and 1,620 personnel of other ranks in field units, besides 49 Inspectors, 98 Sub-Inspectors and 196 Grade-II Constables at district and city headquarters. A dedicated SSF Headquarters Control Room and additional posts for the State Police Master Control Room have also been sanctioned, bringing the total strength to 2,545 posts, including 2,538 executive posts and seven ministerial posts.
The government sanctioned Rs 354.66 crore for the Phase-II rollout of the force. To support field operations, it approved 49 surveillance drones with advanced monitoring capabilities at a cost of Rs 2 lakh each. The drones will deploy for hotspot surveillance and in areas where physical patrolling is difficult, aiming to strengthen situational awareness and preventive policing. The government also sanctioned 270 body-worn cameras with live-streaming capability and an upgraded Kaval Uthavi mobile application to report unsafe environments, monitor safe journeys and enable real-time coordination. A centralised control room equipped with a video wall and video-conferencing facilities has also been approved.
The non-recurring expenditure includes procuring 319 Bolero vehicles, 101 two-wheelers, 270 tablets, 638 walkie-talkies and 319 mobile wireless sets. An annual awareness fund of Rs 1 crore has also been sanctioned.
The SSF will function under the supervision of an Inspector General of Police, with field units reporting to district Superintendents of Police and Commissioners of Police. The order specifies that SSF personnel shall not ordinarily be diverted for law and order or bandobust duties. Pending legislative approval, the recurring expenditure will initially be met through an advance from the Contingency Fund and later included in the Revised Budget Estimates for 2026-27.
Senior officials associated with the force told TNIE that recruitment would gradually increase the number of patrol teams. "The force would focus primarily on preventive policing. Since SSF personnel do not have the power to register FIRs in the initial phase, detained suspects will be handed over to the jurisdictional police station for further action. Personnel have also undergone a five-day training programme covering self-defence, legal provisions relating to women and children, and field operations."