Night patrols in Bangalore to nab errant drivers

Night patrols in Bangalore to nab errant drivers
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Bangalore police have intensified night patrols across the city even as HP GlobalSoft on Saturday decided to provide security escorts to its female staff in the wake of an employee's alleged rape and murder by a driver.

Mobile police squads are geared up to nab errant cab drivers ferrying thousands of ITES/BPO (IT-enabled services/business process outsourcing) staff on night shift to offices or homes.

The vigilant measure comes in the wake of HP GlobalSoft employee Pratibha's rape and murder by cabbie Shiva Kumar after he picked her up from home for a graveyard shift at the company's call centre in the Electronics City.

City police commissioner Ajai Kumar Singh told reporters that 277 cab drivers were detained late on Friday night for various traffic offences such as reckless driving, wrong parking and lack of valid documents.

"These cabbies, engaged by ITES/BPO firms for ferrying their employees on night duty, were stopped by the mobile squads and fined for various offences committed while driving”.

‘A total of Rs.41,200 was collected from the errant drivers during the midnight operation," Singh said.

Police have also directed all IT firms, including call centres and BPO units, to make foolproof security arrangements for their employees, especially after sunset.

"We have instructed all companies in IT and other sectors to ensure that security guards escort women employees while commuting to their workplace or returning home after late night shifts”.

“They should also ensure that male employees are picked up first and dropped last as a safety measure for their female counterparts," Singh added.

The city police have called all IT firms for a meeting Dec 20 to discuss security and safety measures being taken for their staff, particularly women.

"We will make it mandatory for companies to maintain a database of taxi operators and background checks of drivers hired by them for transporting their employees”.

“A copy of the database should be filed with the zonal police offices in the city for accessing them quickly," Singh said.

Police intend to prevail upon all ITES/BPO firms to equip vehicles with GPS (global positioning system) or wireless systems for locating them while ferrying their employees.

As the IT capital of India, Bangalore is home to about 150 ITES and BPO firms, employing over 125,000 techies, 50 percent of whom are women.

The IT industry, including about 1,000 software services firms, employs 350,000 people.

HP GlobalSoft on Saturday said security guards will accompany women employees from their home to office and back for ensuring their safety with immediate effect.

"The monthly travel roster will ensure that the first pick-up and the last drop will be a male employee”.

“In the absence of male employees, Group 4 security guards will accompany women staff in both directions," said HP global delivery application services head Amit Sircar.

"We have decided to adopt these measures to avoid a repeat of the tragic incident in which our employee was killed by the cabbie who picked her up by impersonating the regular shift driver on that fateful night (Dec 13)," Sircar told.

Bangalore traffic commissioner M.N. Reddy has agreed to arrange for background checks of all drivers and supervisors on transportation duty in the company.

"A special hotline number has been put in place for replacement cabs, which will be manned by HP employees on 24x7 basis”.

“This has been communicated to all women employees. They will board a replacement cab once they receive a call from this hotline number," Reddy said.