Mahila Police Volunteers (MPV)

A gender responsive police service requires specific training, increased presence of female personnel and community outreach to integrate gender issues into policies, protocols and operational procedures. Hence government came up with ‘Mahila Police Volunteers’ (MPV) initiative in 2015.

• An MPV will serve as a public-police interface in order to fight crime against women. The broad mandate of MPVs is to report incidences of violence against women such as domestic violence, child marriage, dowry harassment and violence faced by women in public spaces.
• An MPV would be selected by SP of the respective district.

Functions of MPV

• Create awareness of the existing services available for women.
• Inform the police personnel about any unpleasant behavior or untoward incidences against women and girls in the community.
• Act as an additional intelligence collection unit of the area.
• Mandatory visit of the local Anganwadi Centre once in a week on the day.
• Conduct one-to-one meetings, home visits, community meetings, Focus Group discussions to build confidence among women, families and peer groups to approach the Local Police, Women Helpline and One Stop Center in times of need, etc.
• As of now only Haryana is the state that has adopted MPV, further the proposals of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have also been approved for implementation of MPVs. Other states must follow suit.