BENGALURU: The Safety Islands, installed by the city police to enhance women’s safety, received 56 alert calls in the past six months, primarily regarding theft and public disturbances. Despite their purpose, the emergency system has not recorded any emergency alerts from women.
Around 50 Safety Islands are installed across the city, under the Safe City project. The Safety Islands resemble blue telephone booths and have emergency call buttons directly linked to the Command Centre located at the Police Commissioner’s office. Each unit is monitored by CCTV cameras installed nearby, providing real-time updates to the police.
A senior police officer from the Command Centre said that through Safety Islands, multiple complaints have been received, with theft and public quarrels being the most prevalent issues. The Command Centre, on an average, receives two crank calls every day, as youths walking near the Safety Islands press the SOS button, to check whether it is functioniong.
He recalled an incident in March, where a foreign national reported the loss of his mobile phone and a laptop which he had left in an auto rickshaw near a mall. He utilized a Safety Island to alert the Command Centre, which analyzed CCTV footage and coordinated with local police to recover his belongings the following day. “There are also incidents where people have used Safety Islands to reach out to police to report about suicide attempts and our teams have successfully thwarted them.”
Another officer stated that Safety Island is installed for emergency situations, where women, who are alone, don’t have access to a mobile phone and feel unsafe, can use the service to quickly connect with the police. It’s not limited to women, other citizens can also use them.
He further said that the woman have access to multiple platforms, such as Namma 112 and the Suraksha app, which might be the reason behind low usage of Safety Islands.
If women haven’t used the service, it is a good sign. The Safety Islands are there for them to feel safe, and it’s for any kind of emergency. If public are using it, it’s a benefit for public and police, he added.