Key Points
- Specialized squads with mixed gender personnel to prevent women's harassment
These squads have been instructed to focus strictly on enforcing the law rather than imposing personal or cultural morality on individuals. The initiative aims to curb crimes against women, including eve-teasing, molestation, and other forms of harassment.
According to an order signed by Commissioner of Police Sanjay Arora on March 8, these squads will consist of trained personnel tasked with preventing, deterring, and responding to such offences in real time.
Each district will have at least two anti-eve teasing squads under the supervision of an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) from the district's Crime Against Women Cell.
Each squad will include an inspector, a sub-inspector, and four female and five male officers from the ranks of Assistant Sub-Inspector, Head Constable, and Constable. Additionally, personnel from the special staff or the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) will provide technical assistance.
The primary focus of these squads will be areas identified as "hotspots" for crimes against women. The District Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) will compile a list of such locations, ensuring that the squads conduct daily patrols at least two vulnerable points.
The squads will take a multi-faceted approach involving prevention, intervention, and victim assistance.
Operating in plainclothes, officers will conduct surprise checks in public transport and coordinate with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) drivers, conductors, and passengers to encourage them to report incidents of harassment. The directives also emphasise the importance of ensuring that victims are not subjected to unnecessary public scrutiny or embarrassment.
District DCPs have been instructed to ensure that squad members operate with sensitivity, empathy, and self-motivation while handling cases.
With this new initiative, Delhi Police aims to create a safer environment for women in the capital while reinforcing its commitment to proactive law enforcement and crime prevention.
The BJP, in its manifesto for the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025, had promised the deployment of "Anti-Romeo Squads" in all public spaces along with an extensive network of CCTV cameras to bolster security.
The initiative also follows a similar model implemented by the Uttar Pradesh Police in 2017 through its "Anti-Romeo" drive, which aimed to crack down on harassment against women.
