WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT DEPT PARTNERS WITH PUNJAB POLICE TO SAFEGUARD RIGHTS OF VULNERABLE SECTIONS 

DAY-2 OF GENDER SENSITISATION TRAINING:

 COMPASSION FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED AND MARGINALISED AS CRUCIAL AS GENDER SENSITIVITY, SAYS CABINET MINISTER DR BALJIT KAUR,  MALE OFFICERS MUST PROVIDE A SUPPORTIVE ECOSYSTEM FOR WOMEN PERSONNEL TO TAKE UP ACTIVE OPERATIONAL ROLES, SAYS SPL DGP GURPREET DEO

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The Community Affairs Division (CAD) of Punjab Police, in partnership with J-PAL South Asia and Hartek Foundation, on Wednesday successfully conducted the second day of the Round-III training programme under the Gender Sensitization Project, “Mainstreaming of Women in Punjab Police,” at the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy (MRSPPA), Phillaur.

Day-2 of the programme focused exclusively on Group T2—the male-only group—comprising 413 nominated police officials serving as Station House Officers (SHOs), Investigating Officers (IOs), and Munshis (MHCs) representing their respective Police Stations.

Presiding over the event as Chief Guest, Cabinet Minister for Social Security, Women & Child Development Dr Baljit Kaur addressed the participating officials, emphasising that alongside gender sensitisation, officers must demonstrate compassion toward underprivileged citizens, senior citizens, and people with special needs. She noted that while individuals with resources can easily access help, those lacking support from society are the ones who genuinely require empathy and understanding from the police.

Underscoring the importance of a gender-friendly organisational environment where women personnel are treated with equality and dignity, Dr Baljit Kaur announced that the Department of Social Security, Women & Child Development will work in close coordination with the Community Affairs Division of the Punjab Police. She urged the police department to collaborate actively with her department to battle crimes against children, eradicate beggary, and take stringent action against organised human trafficking.

Speaking on the occasion, Special DGP CAD Gurpreet Kaur Deo emphasised that as women remain a minority in a male-dominated organisation, it is the need of the hour to integrate them into the mainstream by assigning them active operational roles rather than routine administrative desk jobs. She called upon women officers to be proactive, while directing SHOs and male colleagues to cultivate a supportive ecosystem that empowers women to become effective operational members of the police station team.

The training sessions were led by eminent former police officers and lead trainers, former DGP Maharashtra Meeran C Borwankar and former DGP Punjab RC Singh, along with other resource persons. The sessions focused on dismantling gender stereotypes, promoting inclusive policing practices, and strengthening community engagement based on field realities.

Meanwhile, the broader intervention covers around 2,000 police officials across 384 Police Stations (288 for training, 96 as a control group) using a Training of Trainers (ToT) model with 60 Master Trainers. Designed as a research-based impact assessment, J-PAL will conduct an endline survey following the training to evaluate shifts in attitudes and perceptions compared to pre-training baseline data.

The third and concluding day of Round-III, scheduled for August 20, 2026, will focus on Group T1—the women-only group—comprising 398 Punjab Police Mahila Mittars stationed at Women Helpdesks in 384 police stations of the state.