The Vizianagaram police will identify areas that are unsafe for women and map them in order to minimise sexual assault crimes, Superintendent of Police M. Deepika Patil said on Thursday.
The SP said that 25 places were identified as ‘highly sensitive’, while 76 areas were marked as ‘moderate’ as far as crimes against women were concerned. Addressing a yearender press conference, Ms. Deepika said that ‘Disha Sheets’ were being opened against sexual offenders along the lines of rowdy-sheets in the district.
“The Disha App has seen a good response in the district. As many as 4,05,450 women downloaded the App which would enable women to get quick help from police personnel in times of distress. Women police personnel were posted in colleges and other places which were named as Disha Beats,” she said.
“Visible policing is our top priority to minimise crimes against women, nuisance in public places, control traffic violations and other issues. As many as 4,371 CCTV cameras have been set up at different places to identify the movement of suspicious elements,” said Ms. Deepika.
“The crime rate had come down in 2021 as compared to 2020. Altogether 9,138 cases were registered in 2021, while 10,380 cases were booked last year,” she said. The department launched a crackdown on ganja smuggling with frequent inspection of vehicles in sensitive places, she said, adding that law and order was under control in tribal villages along the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) region. Additional SPs N. Sridevi Rao, P. Satyanarayana and Vizianagaram DSP Anil Pulipati attended the press meet.
