Chandigarh/Jalandhar, August 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Community Affairs Division (CAD) of the Punjab Police, in partnership with J-PAL South Asia and Hartek Foundation, conducted the second day of the Round-III training program under the Gender Sensitization Project, “Mainstreaming of Women in Punjab Police”, at Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy (MRSPPA), Phillaur, on Wednesday.
The second day was dedicated to Group T2, comprising 413 male police officials serving as Station House Officers (SHOs), Investigating Officers (IOs) and Munshis (MHCs) representing their respective police stations.
Cabinet Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development Dr Baljit Kaur, who attended the program as chief guest, said gender sensitivity must be accompanied by compassion towards underprivileged and marginalized sections of society, including senior citizens and persons with special needs.
She said people with resources could generally access assistance with greater ease, while those without social or financial support depended more heavily on police sensitivity and understanding.
Dr Baljit Kaur also stressed the importance of creating a gender-friendly workplace where women police personnel are treated with equality and dignity. She said her department would work closely with the Punjab Police CAD and urged greater coordination to address crimes against children, eradicate beggary and take stringent action against organized human trafficking.
Special DGP CAD Gurpreet Kaur Deo said women remain a minority in the predominantly male police organization and must therefore be integrated into mainstream policing through active operational responsibilities rather than being restricted to routine desk assignments.
She urged women officers to take a proactive approach and called upon SHOs and male colleagues to create a supportive environment that enables women personnel to function effectively as operational members of police station teams.
The training was conducted by former Maharashtra DGP Meeran C. Borvankar and former Punjab DGP RC Singh, along with other resource persons. Sessions focused on challenging gender stereotypes, promoting inclusive policing practices and strengthening community engagement based on field realities.
The wider intervention covers around 2,000 police officials across 384 police stations, with 288 stations included in the training and 96 designated as a control group. The program follows a Training of Trainers model involving 60 master trainers. As part of the research-based impact assessment, J-PAL will conduct an endline survey after the training to assess changes in attitudes and perceptions against pre-training baseline findings.
The third and concluding day of Round-III will be held on August 20 and will focus on Group T1, comprising 398 Punjab Police Mahila Mittars posted at Women Helpdesks across 384 police stations in the state.