TAMIL Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday inaugurated a special police unit, ‘Singappen,’ to provide enhanced safety to women. Vijay unveiled the insignia for the special force tasked to prevent crimes against women and children, and to provide better safety to them. Also, the Chief Minister flagged off special patrol vehicles for the special force, and he himself drove a vehicle for a short distance. In his address, Vijay said that for the first time in the country, drone-based ‘patrol’ will be undertaken by the special unit for women’s safety.

 

Stating that crimes against women caused deep distress, he said such crimes and the prevalence of drugs--intoxicants were interlinked and underscored that the drug menace must be eradicated. Without naming any party, he said that the drug menace was not something new. “As it was neglected for so long, its roots have spread so deeply. I believe I don’t need to explicitly tell you who is responsible for ignoring it all these years,” he said. For the special unit, the Chief Minister said that over Rs 354 crore is to be allocated in the first phase and in the second phase, 2,500 new posts will be created for the new unit.