In the Indian capital’s narrow alleys, packed with people, cycle rickshaws, scooters, stray dogs and cows, police constable Sushila Meena used to feel frustrated when responding to calls from women complaining of sexual harassment. "By the time I got to the spot, through the traffic, I’d discover that my patrol van couldn’t squeeze through the lane and the offender had vanished long ago."
Now she will be able to respond much faster as part of a new motorcycle squad called Raftaar, Hindi for "speed", that is to start patrolling the streets of New Delhi next month.
The motorcycles not only enable a faster response to complaints but will also create a more visible police presence through more frequent patrols than police vans, which struggle to get through the congested traffic in a city of more than 25 million people and 10 million vehicles.
"We have realised that incidents of sexual harassment can only come down if the police are highly visible. That deters people and also reassures women that help is to hand,’ said Delhi police spokesman Dependra Pathak.
Crimes against women have been national concern ever since the fatal gang rape of a student in Delhi in 2012, with the public demanding action against perpetrators and the police under pressure to bring the figures down. Although there has been an increase in rapes reported in Delhi, with the police recording more than 2,150 case in 2016 — an increase of 67 per cent from 2012 — this has been attributed in part to more victims coming forward to report assaults.
The predominantly male police have in the past been reluctant to register complaints from women, leading to efforts to make the force more gender-sensitive. Hundreds of all-women police stations have been set up across the country to encourage women to report crimes. Two years ago, the government decided that one third of Delhi's police should be female. However, women still make up only 10 per cent of the 80,000-strong force.
Many experts feel that the single biggest deterrent to sexual violence or harassment is a stronger police presence in public. Mr Pathak says this is why 600-motorcycle Raftaar squad is being set up. A majority of the riders will be women.
An experienced rider who already occasionally patrols on motorcycle, Ms Meena has been put in charge of training the policewomen in the Raftaar squad. Every evening, she takes them for drills to a stadium near the Maurice Nagar police station in north Delhi, where she is posted. The motorcycles they are training on are old, but when the squad hits the streets next month they will have brand new bikes with GPS and be equipped with stun guns, body cameras and pepper spray.
Ms Meena's colleague, head constable Chanda Sagar, says the motorbike squad will be very useful for preventing "eve teasing" — an Indian term for public sexual harassment. "We have the Delhi University north campus here and lots of female students and hostels around. The moment they see us on our bikes on the streets — a man catcalling, touching a woman or following her — they will be scared off," she said.
Seeing policewomen on motorcycles not only makes women feel safer, but also allows for more interaction, Ms Meena said. As she returns to the police station from a training session, she turns on the siren. Passers-by watch, intrigued at a policewoman on a motorcycle. She stops by a group of young women students to chat and let them know she is only minutes away if they are in trouble.
"In a police van, you are cut off a bit. On a motorbike, I feel I am much more accessible to the public," she said.
Ms Meena said preventing sexual crimes was crucial because the conviction rate is alarmingly low, which in turn deterred women from them. According to Delhi police data, the conviction rate in 2015 was 29.37 per cent.
The city of Jaipur has had an all-female motorcycle squad since May that patrols around schools, colleges and temples to prevent sexual harassment, but it is still too soon to assess its effectiveness.
Ravi Kant, president of the Shakti Vahini women's rights group, agrees there is a need for deterrence but is not so sure that the women's motorcycle patrols would be enough.
"We need a proper strategy for preventing crimes against women, from more patrolling to more sensitive police to a higher conviction rate, for which it is essential that police do a thorough investigation," he said.
"Only all these measures taken together will make women feel more confident."
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
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The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
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Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
The five pillars of Islam
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
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- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
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Reaktion Books