Launching the Mission Shakti to battle crimes against women, the state of Uttar Pradesh has introduced 'Pink Patrol' which comprises of women patrolling officers in the state capital, Lucknow. This new project, which marks the auspicious festival of Navratri, is aimed at strengthening the protection and safety of women in Uttar Pradesh.

Of the women, for the women

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Coinciding with the launch of the 'Safe City Project' in Lucknow on Saturday, around 250 female police personnel have been deployed as a part of the 'Pink Patrol' inculcating the spirit of empowerment among the women in the city. These new officers have been appointed after a rigorous training procedure which has prepared them to tackle various on-ground situations. The 'Pink- Patrol' is also authorised with the power to take immediate action on the cases of molestation and crime against women.

In the first phase of this program, around 100 scooties and 10 SUV's have been put into service in Lucknow. Under the newly launched Safe City plan, the 'Pink Patrol' will operate in the places that have been identified by Lucknow police as hotspots. The state government is aiming to set-up the 'Pink Patrol' scheme in other districts of Uttar Pradesh namely Kanpur, Agra, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Meerut, Noida, Ghaziabad and Moradabad.

According to the government spokesman, "These will be initially stationed at places including girls' colleges places where women move around in large numbers. Areas, where cases of molestation take place, will also be included." The patrolling schedules will also be drafted based on complaints, reports and suggestions from women.

Lucknow police officials have also notified that the women patrolling units can also be deployed at night in case of emergencies. The force will be directly connected to the nearest police station with 1090, women's helpline number and 112, the emergency helpline number. They will further be integrated with control rooms so that additional, assistive police force can be notified and dispatched promptly if required.

-With inputs from IANS