India needs more women in the police
Ayoung girl in Gurugram, who was relentlessly stalked, died by suicide recently. Attempts by her desperate father to intervene led to the stalker apologising, but did not deter him from continuing to harass the girl.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau report 2020, there were 9,438 reported cases of stalking in 2018. But, many more do not come to light as women don’t report them to the police for fear of being blamed themselves or not getting timely help. Worrying data issued by Delhi Police shows that crimes against women in the national Capital saw a 63.3% increase in the first six months of 2021.
The police station is the first port of call in the criminal justice system. And it is there that many women face the first barriers: Of not being taken seriously; not being able to submit forensic evidence in time; and, being made to feel uncomfortable in a largely male-dominated environment.
One solution would be to have more women in the police force. On this front, there is positive news. There has been a 16% increase in women personnel entering the police force between 2019 and the beginning of 2020. However, women still constitute only 10.3% of the force.
Following a 2009 Government of India advisory, almost all Union Territories and nine states decided on a target of 33% reservation for women in the police. But targets don’t always translate into actual numbers on the ground.
Usha Rangnani, deputy commissioner of police, southwest Delhi, firmly believes that more women in the force would lead to more women reporting incidents of violence against them. “I have begun an initiative of having an all-women force in one area under my jurisdiction. They interact with women in the area, draw them out about any violence that they may be experiencing either at home or in public places, provide counselling and legal advice on options available to them.”
She says that crimes against women cannot be tackled without involving men, so her officers also engage with men and older women in the area. “Seeing my officers and the respect that they command, I find that more girls in the locality are keen on joining the force. Women feel safer and more confident in coming forward. I feel that women officers have more empathy for them and respect boundaries when dealing with women who have suffered violence.”
Harmeet Singh, commissioner of police in Guwahati, feels that more women in police stations make it easier and more friendly for women to register a complaint. “Women bring an intuitive capacity to the job and they tend to be on the cutting-edge of policing wherever they are in charge. Make no mistake, women are very tough and capable as officers. I think women being comfortable with more women police officers is one positive aspect of gender inclusion.”
The decision not to report violence to the police is governed by several factors, among them the fear of stigma, victim-shaming, and a resigned acceptance of violence. Kalpana Vishwanath, director of Safetipin and chairperson of Jagori, a women’s resource centre says, “Many women are too scared to come to a station, so the police must engage in community outreach as a way of helping women.”
More women police personnel, proactive gender sensitisation across the force and the localities they work in, and taking policing out of the station to women, hold the key to a safer environment for women in both rural and urban India.