The newly launched 24x7 smartphone application ‘Raksha’, for the women in distress, has got a good response from the people of the city and as many as 1,193 women registered with the mobile application in a fortnight. Chandigarh Police launched this application on January 6.
Roshan lal, DSP Communication, Chandigarh police, said since the launching of this application, 1,193 women have downloaded it on their smartphones. The Police Control Room (PCR) also received 160 alerts to check the services.
So far, only one genuine distress call has been received from this application. On January 7, Vikram Singh, resident of Sector-37, pushed panic button on the application and a PCR rushed to the spot. The victim reported that fire had broken out in his vehicle, at Sector-28.
The application was launched to help women in the city. With the help of Smart 24x7, women in distress can send an alert to the PCR and three other numbers by pressing a panic button, added the DSP. On receiving the alert, the PCR can trace the location of the person and dispatch a police team.
“Chandigarh police hopes that as the application gains popularity, the number of registrations would increase,” said DSP Roshan lal. He added that the initiatives taken by the Chandigarh police in the past have also received a good response. The Whatsapp helpline (9779580985) is also gaining popularity among the city residents as majority of people are contacting police through the helpline.
As per the police records, the women helpline set up by the Chandigarh Police received around 3,000 calls during 2014, while more than 3,500 women took assistance from the Woman and Child Support Unit.