Women’s safety requires proactive, responsive and accountable policing, say experts
Women police personnel are the “last mile link” between the police force and the public and their workplace concerns need to be addressed to build a more responsive and efficient police system, former Karnataka Director General of Police Raghavendra H. Auradkar said on Thursday.
Delivering the keynote address at the third edition of the National Women’s Conference on Safety and Security 2026 in Bengaluru, Mr. Auradkar, who is now the Chairman and Administrative Member of the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal (KSAT), said that women police officers, from constables to inspectors, need better workplace facilities and institutional support.
He highlighted the need for dedicated toilets, safe transport for women working night shifts, access to mental health counsellors, regular health checks and stronger mechanisms to deal with sexual harassment in public spaces and workplaces.
Mr. Auradkar also urged police authorities to move from reactive policing to proactive security measures, including regular security audits of public places, public transport, educational institutions and workplaces.
He suggested exploring an integrated model of women’s safety similar to the Bharosa initiative of the Telangana police, where multiple support services are available under one roof.
Held at the Senior Police Officers Research and Training Institute (SPORTI) on Magrath Road, the two-day conference is themed ‘Gandhiji Revisited: Women’s Safety & Security in Free India – Deepening Sensitivity’.
Responding to the concerns raised by Mr. Auradkar, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the city police had already put in place several welfare measures, including mental health counselling, mobile toilets and regular health check-ups for staff. He said the remaining issues raised at the conference would also be reviewed.
The first day discussed workplace safety and the use of technology, including artificial intelligence, to improve women’s safety. Experts said AI could help with early intervention, evidence gathering and policing, but stressed the technology must complement, not replace, a victim-centred approach.
During a panel discussion on the reporting-conviction gap for crimes against women, Attorney General Shailaja Nayak said that the police file charges in nearly 75-85% of cases, while convictions often drop to 15-20% during trial.
She attributed the low number of convictions in large part to the pressures victims face and emphasized the need to protect survivors while balancing the right to freedom of expression. Ms. Nayak said she has handled about 60 sexual assault cases, of which only three resulted in convictions, two were dropped and the remaining cases are still pending.
Pratima Jagadeesh, founder and director of Crecers Academy, said the bigger problem is not the absence of laws, but lack of awareness and poor coordination between departments.
Women and juvenile rights advocate Anjali Ramanna, founder of Astitva Legal Trust, said she had dealt with 18 cases of dowry harassment, 13 of which involved IT workers, and highlighted that violence against women cuts across professional and social settings.
During a session on Police Reforms for Safety and Protection of Women, S. Savitha, DIGP and Additional Commandant General, Home Guard and ex-Officio Deputy Director of Civil Defence, said harassment accounted for the highest number of reported crimes against women, with 4,262 cases. She said the other four categories in the top five were spousal cruelty, violation of the Dowry Prohibition Act, rape and death due to dowry.
The opening session was attended by former DGP Dr. Jija Harisingh, DGP and IGP Dr. MA Saleem, CID DGP Dr. Pronab Mohanty, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh and other dignitaries.
The conference will continue on Friday with more thematic discussions and sessions focusing on solutions on women’s safety and security.
Published – 24 Sep 2026 22:14 IST