In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Ludhiana Commissionerate Police has launched care station project to assist people with emergency relief just by pressing a button. Launching the project here at local Sarabha Nagar market, Commissioner of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu said that this project is aimed at serving the people during any kind of emergency situation under safe city project.
He further added that it is first of its kind in the state of Punjab and focuses primarily on safety and security of our citizens particularly women, children and vulnerable sections of our society. Each Station is integrated with the ICCC (Integrated Command and Control Centre), citywide CCTV surveillance, 112 Helpline mechanism, Police Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) and Traffic infrastructure.
He mentioned that nitially 10 CARE Stations have been placed in various parts of the City involving crowded markets and sensitive locations which will be expanded as per need and future requirement. These care stations enable two-way communication thereby preventing the need to physically go to Police Stations in situations of immediate relief, he added.
Giving more information, the CP said that it has inbuilt PA system that can be used to inform and aware the public about important developments, ensure smooth flow of traffic and relay important information in crisis situations. Furthermore, real time location based and immediate response is provided against sensitive crimes such as snatching, vehicle theft, eve teasing, stalking etc.
He stated that Ludhiana is a cosmopolitan City having large labour population, foreign visitors, migrants from across the country with no local acquaintances or even mobile phones can utilise these stations in panic situations. It also provides an additional platform to gather information directly from the public.
Sharing information about its working, he said that first a caller, any member of Public, goes towards a CARE Station and presses the button. Thereafter, the caller gets connected to the operator who could see the live footage and current location of the caller.
Then, the caller narrates his problem to the operator who then directs the nearest PCR vehicle to reach the Caller within no time. Information is also passed on to the SHO of the nearest Police Station to keep tap of the situation and respond accordingly. PCR reaches to the Caller and further action is taken accordingly as per the situation.The whole scenario has been placed under CCTV surveillance to ensure timely response and accountability.
He said that in the first phase, the care stations are Ghumar mandi, Ghanta Ghar, Bus Stand, Sarabha Nagar Market, Feroze Gandhi Market, Tution Market, Model Town, Gill Chowk, Buriwala Gurudwara Sahib, Haibowal, Jalandhar Bypass Bus Stop and Samrala Chowk.
Reitrating his commitment to ensuring safety and security of people of the city, the CP stated that Commissionerate Police will leave no stone unturned to protect citizens from any kind of threat. He urged people to join hands with the police department to make this drive a mega success in the city.