Enthused by the popularity of its 'Himmat' mobile app for women's safety, the Delhi Police Wednesday launched the facility on WhatsApp and the Hike messenger group.
Women in Delhi can now send photos of autorickshaws and taxis they board to the Himmat WhatsApp group number 8800001091. The same number is for hike messenger group users.
The details sent on both the messenger services will reach the police control room and it will be preserved for a week. Police will take quick action in case of any emergency reported in the group.
Launching the app at the Delhi Police Headquarters, Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi said: "The App has been launched to reinforce the commitment of Delhi Police towards the safety of women."
"The Himmat WhatsApp Group and Hike Group have been created to boost the self confidence of women during their travel anywhere, anytime in Delhi," Bassi said.
He said that women will have to add the police WhatsApp number on their android phones and fill up a short form with the details of the registration number, their name and the place from where they board the vehicle along with a photograph of the vehicle and send it.
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"The women can also send distress messages on the WhatsApp number if required," said Bassi, adding women can also add other details of their travel if they require.
The WhatsApp group, Bassi said, will reach out to more women in the city. "It is also integrated with the PA-100 system (control room) so that in case of an emergency reported on the group, the nearest PCR (Police Control Room) MPV (Mobile Patrolling Vehicle) will be rushed to the spot."
Delhi Police had launched Himmat safety App on Jan 1, 2015. This App is available for android mobile phone users to provide immediate police assistance to women in the event of any emergent situation.
So far more than 30,000 women have downloaded this SOS app and 5,360 have registered with Delhi Police.
Hike is a cross-platform instant messaging service for smartphones that uses the internet for communication.