Chennai: Chennai city police had set up a new unit called Investigation Unit on Crime Against Women to probe and assist heinous crimes against women.
The new unit will mainly assist the probe in crimes like rape, dowry deaths, acid attacks and human trafficking against women. The creation of such an unit was done based on advise from the union home ministry.
The unit, will be headed by an officer in the rank of additional deputy commissioner who directly reports to the city police commissioner AK Viswanathan. Financial sanction from the state government for setting up the unit was received on May 30, this year.
Apart from Chennai, IUCAW units are being set up in Vellore, Villupuram, Dharmapuri, Tanjavur, Madurai and Tirunelveli, officials here said.
Talking about the unit, V Shymala Devi, additional deputy commissioner, who heads IUCAW in Chennai, said that it was set up for pro-active policing, intelligence gathering on woman related crimes, tackling organised crimes and monitoring proper implementation legislative provisions, creating awareness and also assisting local police in probing the crimes related to women.
In Chennai, apart from ADC, the unit will have two assistant commissioners, four inspectors, 4 sub inspectors and four constables. ICCAW will have 40 women strength.
Last year the union home ministry had decided to set such units in 714 police districts across the country and the expenses will be shared on 50:50 basis with the states.
All women police stations in Tamil Nadu will continue to function as such because IUCAW will be mainly assisting other units in probe. Presently IUCAW will not have the power to register FIR.
