The Delhi Police is set to establish the city’s first all-women police station in north Delhi, in a move aimed at improving the handling of crimes against women, according to officials familiar with the development.
The police station is expected to be set up at the Sabzi Mandi police station premises and would serve as a pilot project for the department. Senior officers told Hindustan Times that this station may soon be operational and with discussions also underway to consider the Delhi Cantonment area as an alternative site if needed.
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Dedicated unit for registration and investigation
Unlike existing Crime Against Women (CAW) cells, which are limited to handling complaints related to dowry and marital disputes, the new police station will have the authority to both register and investigate cases.
Officials said the station will deal with a wide range of offences, including assault, stalking, harassment, rape, molestation and cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
By bringing registration and investigation under one roof, the police hope to streamline processes and improve accountability.
A ‘sensitive and accessible’ space
The new police station will consist of female-only staff and a woman station house officer.
“The idea is to create a specialised, sensitive, and accessible space for women complainants,” explained a senior official to Hindustan Times. The new police station will function just like any other police station with only one major difference, that the new police station will deal only with crime against women.
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Pilot project with potential for expansion
According to the officials, the pilot project will be implemented initially in north Delhi. However, it can be extended to other parts of the city, depending on the results it produces.
Similar models have been tested successfully in other states, such as "She Teams" in Telangana and all-female police stations in Tamil Nadu. It should be noted that earlier, the Delhi Police had tried introducing “pink booths”, but because of the lack of jurisdiction, they were not very effective.
