Pink Wheels squad

Gujranwala's Pink Wheels: female officers on scooters boost safety but face staffing and power issues.

The Pink Wheels initiative launched by the police in Gujranwala is a significant step towards ensuring the safety and protection of women in the community. The project, aimed at providing immediate response to issues related to the abuse of women, domestic violence and other crimes, is a commendable effort that reflects a proactive approach to addressing gender-based violence. The formation of a special response unit comprised of women police personnel, complete with pink scooters, showcases a commitment to addressing the specific needs and concerns of women in distress. This initiative not only emphasises the importance of women's empowerment within law enforcement but also acknowledges the value of female representation in addressing sensitive and critical situations.

The new squad will also have an increased focus on the use of technology, such as the Police Women Safety App and the use of body cameras by team members. These measures could go miles in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the response unit. The Pink Wheels teams will prioritise domestic violence, rape cases and acid attacks, but could investigate other crimes as well. It will also be equipped with first-aid facilities, which could be very useful during patrolling, as the Pink Wheels scooters are a lot more adept at weaving through traffic than ambulances or police vans. Women police with basic medical training could also provide critical assistance in instances where conservative women are unwilling to let male paramedics treat or assist them.

But as laudable as the project's goals are, there are still legitimate questions around the strength of staffing - will the squads be overwhelmed by the number of crimes they must handle - and the fact that the women police's powers have been curtailed so much that they are effectively intermediaries, rather than full police officials. Pink Wheels cops can only interview victims and gather some evidence before they hand off cases to the local police station. Deploying more women police but denying them actual policing powers seems suspiciously like an exercise in optics, rather than practicality.