Visakhapatnam Commissioner of Police, Rajeev Kumar Meena, has ordered the reshuffling of the Shakthi team in the city. The move, which will come into immediate effect, will reorganise the women police teams with senior personnel.
While there have been speculations that the Shakthi team will be dissolved completely, Visakhapatnam CP Rajeev Kumar Meena has brushed them off. Stating that the team will not be disbanded, he informed that 28 personnel, of the 35-member team, were still in probation period and lacked the requisite training. The women personnel of the Shakthi team will reportedly be sent back to the police station for acquiring the necessary work experience.
The move comes after the Shakthi team in Visakhapatnam faced flak for recording TikTok videos whilst on duty. A few women police personnel, in uniform, were seen in the videos that went viral on social media a few days ago. If reports are to be believed, senior police officials were not too pleased with the women police constables’ conduct and have initiated a probe into the incident.
The Shakthi teams were launched in April, by former DGP of Andhra Pradesh RP Thakur, as part of the ‘Mahilalaku Cheruvaga’ programme. The teams worked to keep a check on crimes against women such as eve-teasing, molestation, bigamy, adultery and enticement of married women, girl/child abuse, dowry death and workplace harassment among others. The 35-member team was provided with 5 cars and 20 two-wheelers, equipped with VHF sets, man-pack, Tabs for GPS tracking and Pepper Spray. They were also given training in car driving, swimming, legal knowledge on crimes against women, communication skills and self-defence for about a month.
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