Police, RPF reach out to passengers, women and say, ‘Happy to Help’

Mysore/Mysuru: Ensuring passenger safety and making it easier to reach for help, the Karnataka Police, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) have launched a novel initiative to abolish all sorts of nuisance, theft and harassment to passengers inside the coaches of trains. 

The initiative is to provide more safety and security to passengers, especially women, during their entire journey from the originating station till destination station.

Called the  ‘Happy to Help’ or ‘Always at Your Service’ initiative, visiting cards are being given to the passengers with contact numbers of the Police officials in the area in case they need help. In all, 69 Policemen in Mysuru have been given these cards with their names and phone numbers printed on them.

The initiative was launched recently, giving a sense of identity to Constables and even educating passengers about an armed force available for their safety. Moreover, commuters are reassured of safety when they know whom to call in case of distress.

To curb undesirable activities

There is also a landline phone number of the Railway Police Station, another mobile number (with WhatsApp facility) and also a website address and the passengers can seek help from any of these. This is the first time in the country when the regular Police force has taken the initiative to curb undesirable activities inside Railway Stations and coaches.

Using this information, people can reach out to the Constables directly for help. These cards have “Happy to Help” both in English and Kannada, a welcoming message for the public to reach out freely. 

To ensure the success of this initiative, the RPF too has vowed to work in tandem with the Police. The facility is the brainchild of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Bhaskar Rao and Railways Superintendent of Police Sira Gowri.

Police and RPF officers and staff in-charge of the Railway Stations across cities in Karnataka will visit the stations themselves and hand over visiting cards to the passengers and users of the Railway Station. They will then educate the staffers on how to keep the Railway Stations and trains safe for users of Railway services from nuisance mongers and thefts.

A sense of safety

This gives the public an added sense of safety and even boosts Police morale. Usually, only high-ranking Police officers are given visiting cards, but this initiative ensures the Constables feel responsible and alert to bring down crimes in trains and at Railway Stations, Bhaskar Rao said. In addition to physical cards, the Constables are given digital cards, which can be shared with passengers through WhatsApp.

According to Bhaskar Rao, this initiative will be spread all over the State in a phased manner. The passengers or Railway users who are harassed by criminal elements can call or send a WhatsApp message to reach the Police officials and can ask for their help, he added. As many as 18 major Railway Stations including Mysuru are seeing this activity being implemented.