New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) In a span of 38 days, the Delhi Police’s ‘Shistachar Squad’ has detained over 6,500 people for offences such as eve-teasing, molestation and harassment, a senior official said on Thursday.

The initiative is part of a broader effort to foster a safer public environment and build confidence among women and vulnerable groups, the official said.

“Between March 17 and April 24, we conducted 1,055 enforcement drives and detained 6,584 people,” the Delhi Police said in a statement.

Additionally, 275 vehicles were seized as part of the operation, the police said.

The specially trained ‘Shistachar Squads’ works in real time to prevent, deter, and respond to such offences, functioning both as a deterrent and as immediate responders to incidents of harassment.

According to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), each district has constituted at least two squads. Each squad consists of one inspector, one sub-inspector, four female police officers, five male police officers, a technical staff member and an adequate number of four-wheelers and two-wheelers for mobility.

Sharing more details about the squad, the police said that district DCPs are required to prepare a list of hotspots and vulnerable areas that pose risks to women’s safety. These locations are the primary focus of squad activities.

Each squad must conduct drives in at least two vulnerable points daily, rotating systematically to ensure coverage of all identified areas.

Plain-clothed female officers are deployed to spot and deter offenders discreetly. Surprise checks are conducted in DTC buses and the squad interacts with drivers, conductors and passengers to raise awareness and encourage reporting, they said.

The squads engage with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), Market Welfare Associations (MWAs), and local volunteers to enhance surveillance and identify new problem areas, read the statement. PTI BM NB