Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday inaugurated the Singappen Task Force, a specialised police unit created to prevent crimes against women and children, and declared that drug abuse is the root cause of most offences committed against women and girls.
Launching the initiative at the Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore, Vijay said the State government was committed to strengthening law and order and ensuring the safety of women through preventive policing and swift legal action against offenders.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said the growing menace of narcotics had contributed significantly to crimes against women and girls. He remarked that drug abuse was the reason behind almost all crimes committed against women and girls, stressing that the problem had taken deep roots because it was ignored for years.
“We must first remove that root if we want to create a safer society,” he said. Vijay warned that those who commit crimes against women would face strict action. He said the police would ensure a speedy investigation, the filing of charge sheets, and the prosecution of offenders.
At the same time, he stressed that innocent people should not be wrongly implicated in criminal cases and urged police personnel to maintain fairness while enforcing the law. The Chief Minister announced that the government had allocated Rs 354 crore for the implementation of the Singappen Task Force.
He said the initiative was designed not merely to respond to crimes after they occur but to prevent them from taking place in the first place. Vijay had made the formation of the task force one of his key commitments after assuming office as Chief Minister on May 10.
One of the earliest orders he signed after taking charge was for the creation of a specialised unit dedicated to the safety and protection of women and children. The government subsequently appointed IG K. Bhavaneeswari as the head of the task force.
Special uniforms and an exclusive insignia have also been introduced to distinguish the unit from other police formations. Senior police officers, including Superintendents of Police, Deputy Superintendents of Police, Inspectors, and Assistant Inspectors, have been deployed across the force.
Vijay further announced that a second phase of expansion would create 2,500 additional posts, significantly strengthening the task force’s presence across the State. He said the primary objective of the Singappen Task Force was to prevent crimes against women before they occur and create a safer environment for women and children across Tamil Nadu.