Making Delhi safer: The way forward

NEW DELHI: After battling for 13 days, the 23-year-old gangrape victim died in a Singapore hospital. But our fight is not over yet. Time has come to take strict measures to make the city safer for women so that no girl goes through that trauma again. Hindustan Times shows the way.

FOCUS ON COMMON MAN Of the 83,762 Delhi Police personnel, close to 45,000 are not available for policing. Of these 45,000, 7,315 are provide security cover to 416 VIPs in the city. Once everything is accounted for, Delhi has only one policemen for 500 people. "If the entire force is at work, only the will one policemen be available for 200-odd Delhiites at a given point of time. But only a section of them are posted at the police stations, so that makes the number even more dismal," said a senior Delhi police official.

FAST TRACK COURTS Trial is considered a second rape. Moreover, the harassment a rape victim has to face from various agencies sometimes force her to not report the incident. Delhi Police need to act more professionally. There is also a need of fast track courts for rape cases so that a trial can end in a stipulated period of time.

REHABILITATION A rape victim needs help throughout her life. Apart from announcing compensation, the government must ensure that a counsellor is in constant touch with the rape victim.

CATCH THEM EARLY The police need to carry awareness campaign in slum clusters and engage unemployed youths in various activities so that they are not attracted to the world of crime.