Delhi Police To Launch 'Shistachar' Squads To Combat Eve-Teasing

By: WE staff | Monday, 17 March 2025

• Delhi Police is introducing "Shistachar" teams in all districts to improve women's safety in the national capital
• There will be a team of 15 trained staff in each district
• The teams will counter eve-teasing offenses and aim at prevention and deterrence

Delhi Police will introduce "Shistachar" units in every district to provide security to women in the national capital. Every district will have one unit of 15 trained officials, who will not only attend to eve-teasing offenses but also work towards prevention and deterrence.

"The District Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCsP) will identify areas of hotspots and vulnerable areas that are risky to women's safety. A list of the same areas as identified by the district DCPs needs to be distributed to the DCP of Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC)," the official circular said.

The schedule of deployment will be prepared by Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) from the Crime Against Women (CAW) Units and sanctioned on a weekly basis by the DCP SPUWAC. The team will patrol high-risk zones regularly and undertake operations at two weak points daily, including surprise inspections on public transport. They will shift through these zones to cover them completely in their jurisdiction over time. The units will be composed of plainclothes women police officers to identify and deter criminals.

The team will work together with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and Market Welfare Associations (MWAs), as well as local volunteers, to enhance surveillance and mark out more vulnerable zones. The core is victim protection, such that survivors are kept out of the public eye. It is recommended that district DCsP make their squad members "sensitive and empathetic." "The team's purpose is to apply the law, not to impose private or cultural morality on people," the circular said.