"Vardi ek aisi cheez hai jo hume safe rakti hai (Our uniform keeps us safe). We receive respect as long as we're in our uniform," a woman cop, who was earlier with the Delhi Police but now works with the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police, says.
Working at odd hours, investigating heinous crimes such as murder and rape, these are some of the challenges faced by all the cops on a daily basis. But added to this is another challenge — the fact that women officers are drastically outnumbered in the force by their male counterparts, making their duty hours much longer.
Inspired by her father, who was also a policeman, a woman inspector in a south Delhi station says they are now used to long hours. "Men cannot handle certain cases. We need to be present in the office for that. We ensure that happens, in order to be able to serve our country and force," she says.
"I've seen serving women feel harassed often. Since we are few in number, sometimes, we are made to do things we don't want to. Sometimes, we are sent to places we don't want to go to. If we refuse, our salaries are cut. We don't have a provident fund either," she adds.
Despite the government taking various measures to encourage women to join the force, the women to men ratio remains skewed. Even after implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in direct recruitment, as per the Government of India directions, women constitute only about 9.4 per cent of the total police force in Delhi.
"When I had joined, the women to men ratio in the police force was 1 to 100. Now, it's about 1 to 80. Not much has changed. We face a lot of problems in our line of work. Our work demands that we be present at any hour of the day, if required. There have been times when I have worked for 24-48 hours at a stretch," says a woman constable, who has now served the Delhi Police for almost 18 years.
"When we had joined the force, we felt confident. But after working for years, we've realised that even we are unsafe at times. It is only the uniform that keeps us safe," she says.
When approached by DNA, a woman sub-inspector said: "The strength is still better now. When I had joined as a constable nearly 30 years ago, I was the only woman in the police station. There used to be only one woman every three police stations. Since there are hardly any women, at times, our duty often continues for 72 long hours."
Most of these women personnel cannot take leave for festivals, since that is the time when most harassment or molestation cases take place.
& Analysis
More women in the force are needed as crimes committed by women are gradually going up in the Capital. In this regard, hiring more women, ensuring easier work hours and promoting more women to the officer rank, will help them feel welcome in the force
