Women in Rawalpindi and neighbouring areas don’t have to go to the police station to report harassment anymore. The police will come to their doorsteps.
The city has gotten a new police unit where women can report domestic abuse or harassment complaints whether they’re at work, school, or anywhere in public.
“It has been seen that women usually choose to stay quiet when they face harassment because of the fear of their identities being revealed,” CPO Muhammad Ahsan Younus said.
Speaking on SAMAA TV’s show Naya Din on Wednesday, he said with the new unit, which comprises all women officers, women can file their complaints by calling at the police’s universal access number: 111-276-797.
“The helpline has a separate mechanism for harassment reports,” Younus explained that when you call the number, the operator will first ask you what type of complaint you want to file. If it’s harassment, they will connect you to a trained officer.
Known for his dynamic innovations in community oriented policing; CPO @AhsanPSP has set up a first of its kind “Harassment Reporting Unit” to help women report cases of harassment confidently and without even a need to visit Police Station. Please dial 111-276-797 and speak up. pic.twitter.com/vMSz9Zy2R8
— Rawalpindi Police (@RwpPolice) December 10, 2020
“The complainant will be asked if they want to come to the police station to lodge the report or want the police to come to them,” he said.
The helpline was launched on December 8 and has a backup at the city’s women’s police station.
“So far we have received five complaints of which one was from social media and the remaining were calls,” an officer of the harassment unit, Amna Baig said.
She revealed that the social media complaint was not filed by anyone but was discovered by the police. “We came across a video in which a man was seen harassing a woman in the Cantt area.”
We reached out to the woman in the video and took all the details of the perpetrator from her, she said. “Her identity was not revealed as she was hesitant to reveal her name,” Baig said, adding that the suspect was arrested and punished.
The helpline will cater to complaints from over seven tehsils. The unit has been given a police van and officers work in shifts. There is an ASI and two sub-inspectors for each shift.
CPO Younus clarified that the harassment helpline is not similar to the police’s emergency helpline. “If you’re in a life and death situation and desperately need help then you should call 15.”
from SAMAA https://ift.tt/2Ku1rYq
0 Comments