Mumbai: The Nirbhaya Squad of the Mumbai Police, a specialised team aimed at addressing and preventing crimes against women and ensuring their safety, has received 40 new cars from Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. The flag-off ceremony took place near NCPA, Nariman Point on Tuesday morning, with the presence of Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and Special Police Commissioner Deven Bharti. In addition, 200 motorbikes were given to the Beat Marshalls.
All the vehicles, Maruti Ertiga MUVs, are equipped with a Vehicle Tracking System, which will be used for tracking and monitoring by the control room and regional control room.
Mumbai Police's Nirbhaya Squad Receives 40 New Cars, 200 Motorbikes for Enhanced Women's Safety | Vijay Gohil
Mumbai Police's Nirbhaya Squad Receives 40 New Cars, 200 Motorbikes for Enhanced Women's Safety | Vijay Gohil
Nirbhaya Squad patrolling
The Nirbhaya Squad conducts daily patrolling across the city, dispatched from police stations. They are assigned to patrol sensitive areas three times a day. The squad consists of trained women police officials, including a female cop, two women constables, and a female driver. Its formation aims to combat various crimes against women, such as sexual assault, harassment, rape, acid attacks, stalking, and eve-teasing.
Furthermore, the squad conducts awareness programs and campaigns in schools, colleges, workplaces, and other areas to promote safety among women. Currently, there are reportedly 91 Nirbhaya squads, and citizens or victims can directly contact them by dialing the helpline number 103.
The Beat Marshalls, equipped with bikes, will help reduce the response time for police to reach crime spots. By alerting the Marshalls, they can swiftly travel on bikes. Marshalls are mainly stationed at chowkys and patrol the roads, unlike the police who are deployed at police stations.