Delhi Police women personnel are busy safeguarding those around them- this time from coronavirus by stitching masks and making sanitisers.
With the crime rate dipping during the lockdown period, Delhi Police women personnel have some time at hand and have pitched in to make the protective gear.
While the women staff at Najafgarh police station are stitching masks, those in Greater Kailash police station are making masks and sanitisers.
"The crime rate has gone down during this time and women staff usually have free time on their hands. A policewoman from Greater Kailash police station suggested that she could make masks," a senior police officer from the south district said.
The SHO of the police station provided her conveyance to bring the sewing machine to the police station where other women personnel also joined her.
One women officer cuts the cloth, one stitches it and the third one sanitises it.
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The officer said these masks are distributed to police personnel and even to those who cannot afford them.
The police station has also procured sodium hypochorite for making sanitiser. "At pickets, we offer water to drivers and others who cross them. Instead of throwing away the bottles, we reuse them and fill them with sanitiser that we make at the police station," the officer said.
At the Najafgarh police station,12 lady police personnel -- one sub-inspector, one assistant sub-inspector, four head constables and six constables -- are voluntarily devoting three hours from their eight hour shifts on a daily basis to stitching masks, a senior officer from Dwarka district said.
"It has been noticed that cloth masks can be used multiple times after washing and sanitizing. The Najafgarh staff got the idea and they approached a sewing machine centre, where the lady staff is voluntarily working for around three hours as per the situation. In case of any emergency, they can be immediately rushed to the area," he added.
They are preparing around 1000 masks in a day, he said, adding that in the last four days they have prepared around 4000 cloth masks.
"Presently, these masks are being distributed among the police staff as with the use of cloth masks the consumption of one time usablemasks will go down.We are planning that later we can distribute these masks among the public also," he added.