The evening relief centers of Punjab Police, started with the aim of ensuring the safety of women, have today emerged as an effective community policing model. These centers are providing all kinds of assistance, counselling, immediate assistance in case of crisis and rehabilitation services to the distressed women.
Initially, only two trained counselors were deployed in the evening relief centers located at Mohali, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. Now many counselors have joined this initiative. In the last two years, these centers have screened 1,656 cases and registered 1,069 cases.
Helping women recover from mental trauma
in this regard punjab police DGP Gaurav Yadav said, a total of four Saanjh Relief Centers are providing assistance to the distressed women to recover from their mental trauma and lead a normal life. Such initiatives reflect Punjab Police’s commitment towards public safety based on trust and cooperation.
The DGP said, there are many success stories of Sanjh relief centres, but the timely rescue of a woman suffering from domestic violence in Mohali is an example of the commitment of Punjab Police. A woman contacted for help and said that her husband was beating her and threatening to get her murdered. He needed immediate help.
This was not the first time the woman had come in contact with the Punjab Police, as one of her previous cases was already registered in the records of the SAS Nagar (Mohali) team. The team at Saanjh Relief Center took immediate action to ensure her safety, arranged for safe transportation and brought her safely to her maternal home, where she could live in a safe environment.
A woman living alone was in critical condition
He further said, in another case, a woman living alone was admitted to the hospital in a critical condition. The team at Saanjh Relief Center counseled him, motivated him to accept the necessary medical treatment, helped him get admitted to PGI and through special coordination, ensured his treatment for about two months. She suffered a miscarriage during treatment.
During this difficult time, the team helped him overcome this difficult time by providing constant emotional support and counselling. After recovery, the team also helped her get employment and tried to reconnect her with her family, so that she could restart her life with dignity and self-reliance.
Apart from the evening relief centres, many other initiatives of Punjab Police for the welfare and safety of women have also proved effective. Under the Jagriti program, Mahila Mitras of Punjab Police reached out to 12,482 schools in the last two years and made 11,75,010 children in the age group of 6 to 12 years aware. During the same period, 76,299 principals, teachers, employees and other staff members were also made aware.
69,329 public awareness programs in five years
Under the Women Help Desks initiative, 69,329 public awareness programs were conducted in the last five years; In which people were made aware on topics like cyber crime, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, Child Marriage Prohibition Act, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, de-addiction and gender sensitivity.
Gurpreet Kaur Deo, Special Director General of Police (Community Affairs Division), said, since its inception in 2011, the Saanjh system has played an important role in strengthening the partnership between the police and the public. Citizen-centric services are being provided through a strong network of more than 530 Saanjh Centers established in the districts, sub-divisions and police stations of Punjab.
She further said, this initiative is filling a significant gap by providing counselling, police assistance and legal aid to women in distress.
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