New Delhi: At a time when concerns for the safety of women are growing across the country, there are some brave heart women who have taken up the responsibility to bring up the change.
A report published in Times of India says, more and more women are joining the police force. About 31 women IPS trainee officers are sweating it out each day at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) in the city of Hyderabad.
In 2013, there were only 22 female officers and only a handful in the years prior to that.
No place is safe place for women today. Forget workplace and roads, harassment against women happen even at their homes. "This is one reason why I joined the police force. To try and do my bit to instill confidence among the women in our society," said a trainee officer.
Women undergo a lot of psychological pressure when they are being harassed by their work colleagues in office and sometimes even by the family members at home. "The women are now trying to bring the change on their own and that's why women take this field," says another trainee IPS officer.
Crime against women is on the rise despite many initiatives taken up by governments and police forces. For instance, Uttar Pradesh has a toll-free number for women to report grievances. In Bengaluru, there is an automated kiosk where women can lodge complaints, thus saving them a trip to the police station.
The trainees at SVPNPA said that more women in the police force is a sure sign of changing times. Now women in the society will have courage and come forward to lodge complaints.
Having women in the force gives the society, especially women, a sense of security. It adds a completely different perspective to policing," said IPS officer Aruna Bahuguna, director, SVPNPA. She also pointed out that having a feminine touch to the force also changes men's attitude towards women. "The society we live in today is far more educated and has gained quite a lot of exposure," she added.
Training at the academy has not been easy, since the men and women cadets are put though the same gruelling physical and mental tasks.
Just as case of the physical tests, the Officers are made to run a length of 16 kilometres and then asked to take up endurance building exercises. For women cadets, there is a little leeway in terms of time limits, apart from that it is the same arduous exercise.
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