KOCHI: After its launch in February 2021, Nirbhayam app of Kerala Police has received as many as 1,311 distress calls till December. The app that was introduced to ensure the safety of women in state was downloaded by over 1 lakh people.
The brainchild of ADGP Vijay Sakhare, the project was started in Kochi and later expanded to other police districts. Police have initiated action in all 1,311 distress calls received through the app with nil pendency reported from any part of the state.
As per the data, Kannur City Police limits came on top with 433 distress calls. After Kannur city, Kozhikode city came second with 359 distress calls, followed by Kollam city (217), and Kochi (95).
“The app was used by more people in urban areas where the use of Internet and mobile phones is high. Apart from that, women from other states and abroad coming to Kerala had also used the app to report crimes to the police. When a distress call is received through the app, the police team identifies the location of the person who seeks assistance and reaches out to them quickly,” a police officer who is associated with the project said.
In police districts like Alappuzha, Thrissur Rural, Kozhikode Rural and Kannur Rural, the app has not been used by anyone to report any distress situation till now. Similarly, less than five persons used the app to report distress situations in districts like Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kasaragod.
“The concept is to reach out to the person who seeks help using the app, within 10 minutes. In some cases, more time will be taken to locate the person. However, in most cases, we could provide help to women in distress. We are looking to conduct a campaign about the app in rural parts of the state,” the officer said. The app can be downloaded from the Google play store or Apple store. Once downloaded, the app can be used by logging into it. In distress situations, a call for assistance can be made by clicking and holding on the help button for five seconds in the app.
The request would be forwarded to the nearest police control room. The app user can also pass on text messages, location photos, and audio or video messages to the police using the app.
Crimes against women are on the rise in the state with 2,031 rape cases reported in 2021 till October. Apart from these, 4,340 molestation cases, 177 cases of kidnapping, 469 cases of eve teasing, and 4,233 cases of cruelty by husbands and other relatives were reported till October this year.