KOHIMA, OCTOBER 18 : In a significant development for Nagaland, its police department in particular, the first-ever full-fledged Women Police Station was inaugurated today by the DGP of Nagaland, LL Doungel. The station is located at the North Police Station in Kohima town.
As much as women are progressing in all spheres of lives, there has also been an increase in crime against women, and also criminal activities committed by women in the recent years. A separate and independent department to deal with issues related to women and children was a much-felt need for the police department and citizens.
Addressing the ceremony, DGP Doungel said no society could be entirely crime-free, and that crime against women and children had a certain sensitivity that was gender specific, even age-related. This needs to be dealt with a higher level of ‘sensitivity, care and empathy,’ the police chief stated.
The official also said that crimes against women and child, and vice versa, cannot be handled with the same yardstick as other categories of crime, which otherwise may amplify the problem rather than solving it.
While noting that the dynamics of polity, local cultures and ethos can come in the way of serving precise and effective remedy to those dealing with the crimes, Doungel asserted that it was important to have ‘something exclusively’ to handle cases relating to women and children. There has to be trained personnel, and psychologists and counsellors as well.
Doungel informed that Dimapur district will soon have a full-fledged women police station too, and later on, in the other districts.
Also, he noted that the Naga society tends to relegate their women to a place where they are considered ‘not to be heard, only seen.’ For any society to progress and to be civilised, the police chief reminded, the society needs to pay more attention to the welfare of their women, their education and their wellbeing.
‘Women comprise half of the population, and if we are to ill-treat them, only half of the population cannot progress,’ Doungel reminded. ‘When we have more sensitivity towards crimes against women, then we can say we are a civilised society.’
Also speaking during the occasion was DIG (Range) Lima S Jamir. Jamir maintained that the police had been traditionally a male-dominated turf. However, department felt a ‘need to empower women, who have been deprived from lots of justice.’
Crime against women and children has to be dealt with a level of sensitivity, care and empathy, Jamir said.
An account of crime against women in Kohima district was given: 23 cases during 2015, where 21 cases were charged and in 2016 where 17 cases were charge as against 21 cases. Jamir reminded the police personnel that the quality of investigation always reflects in conviction rate, ‘which depends on the quality of investigation, and the supervision by the senior officers.’
He also stressed on the need to rely on ‘scientific approaches’ to policing particularly in rape cases—medical examination becomes very important so that case concludes and justice delivered.
The women police station, he added, will deal with crime against women under the IPC, domestic violence, sexual harassment at workplace; medical termination of pregnancy act, the child labour act, the juvenile justice act and the immoral and trafficking act, and prevention of sexual offence against children, among others.
The women police will also provide relief to women and children in distress, arrest in raids, public order duties, provide 24X7 women and child helpline services besides helping in ‘frisking and escorting of women prisoners,’ among others.
‘Challenges are multifarious and you have to live up to the challenges,’ Jamir said. Stating that the first and primary duty of women police personnel was to ‘be responsive to the needs and requirements of the women and child’, the police officer challenged them to be passionate about delivering professional work.
