In a first, women cops deployed for night duty in Jammu

Jammu: In a move aimed at ensuring women's safety as well as keeping tabs on women drug peddlers, female constables have been deployed at various vital checkpoints in Jammu city during night hours, officials said.

This is for the first time that women constables have been deployed during night hours, they said.

"We are deployed at various checkpoints in the city to ensure safety and protection of women at night," a female head constable said.

Anita, a constable, said that women cops have been deployed to do proper verification of women during night time.

"Our duty involves keeping tabs on movement of women residents, since male (constables) can't question them too much, so that there should be no (illegal) activities," she told PTI.

According to senior police officials, the deployment of women constables has been done not only to ensure the safety of women citizens but also to check instances of drug peddling by women.

As per sources, over 50 to 60 female constables along with male cops have been put on duty under new the set-up in the city.

Most of the women cops have been deployed at the entry and exit points of Jammu city. In the next phase, they will also be deployed in the rural areas of Jammu, the officials said.

Women residents have welcomed the initiative by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

In Jammu, several women travel in night as part of their duties.

“This is a great and commendable initiative by the police. It will help those women who go to work at night. It will also help those who are the victims of domestic violence,” Tarika Mahajan, a local resident, told PTI.

She said that at times, those women who go to the party and come back late at night have to face unwanted situation on the roads.

"Some women hesitate to tell their problem to male police personnel, but with the deployment of the female cops now, it will help them to raise their voice against any crime," Mahajan said.

Shikha Rathore, another resident, said that being a girl there have been a lot of security related issues. "But the deployment of women constables during night hours gives a sense of security." The police officers maintained that it will give women cops feeling that they are no less than their male counterparts.