Kolkata, July 20 (IANS) Kolkata Police’s Durga Suraksha Squad on Monday launched a month-long awareness campaign across the city to educate citizens about crimes against women and cyber frauds. The initiative will cover 120 locations across 60 police stations in the city.
A senior Kolkata Police officer said that Lalbazar (Kolkata Police headquarters) has selected 120 locations across 60 police stations in the city for a special campaign over the next 30 days.
The campaign aims to strengthen public awareness through outreach programmes in residential areas and busy public spaces. The Durga Suraksha Squad, which was formed to enhance women’s safety through scooter-based patrols, has now been assigned additional responsibilities under the new drive.
A joint patrol team comprising personnel from local police stations, the cyber police station, women’s police station and women’s cells has been constituted to support the campaign. Awareness activities on crimes against women and cybercrime began on Monday.
As part of the programme, members of the squad and the joint patrol teams will visit four locations daily across two police station areas, distributing leaflets and interacting with residents and pedestrians. Police teams will also use loudspeakers and display short video clips at street intersections to raise awareness and address public queries.
To facilitate the campaign, Lalbazar has deployed 10 scooters and a vehicle for the squad, while local police stations, cyber police units and women’s teams from the intelligence department will provide additional logistical support. Senior officials at the headquarters will monitor the programme.
The campaign comes amid the state’s stated “zero tolerance” policy towards crimes against women. The Durga Suraksha Squad, announced last month, is tasked with taking immediate action against incidents of harassment in public places. The state government has also set up cyber help desks at police stations to assist victims of online fraud and cybercrime.
Women police personnel attached to the squad will continue motorbike patrols across the city, while similar arrangements have also been made in parts of the Presidency Range, including Basirhat, Bangaon and Barasat. Police have additionally put in place real-time audio-visual transmission facilities to enable live monitoring and broadcasting of incidents when required.
–IANS
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