GUNTUR: The police department on Wednesday launched a unique initiative called “Sabala” that is designed to boost confidence in girls and women to take on eve teasers and counter ragging and attacks. Unveiling the initiative, Guntur Rural SP Ch. V. Appala Naidu said that women police, including officials and constables, would be attached to colleges and educational institutions. These women cops will be reachable to girl students.

Stating that a woman cop would be assigned to a college near the police station she is attached to, Mr Appala Naidu said that this would make it easier for her to take care of the girl students. He explained that the phone number of the woman cop would be given to the girl students of the assigned college so that they can contact her seeking help, clarifications or to lodge complaints.

The SP said that despite numerous awareness programmes about eve teasing and ragging, the menace still continued and hoped that Sabala would help tackle it. He asked the college managements to keep vigil on the happenings in classrooms and campus with the help of CCTV cameras and to create awareness about Sabala. Mr Naidu also spoke on the importance of wearing a helmet and asked the college managements and parents to inculcate the habit amongst students. Students from 46 colleges of Guntur district, DSPs and women police participated in the programme.