Siddhartha Mishra | The News Minute | November 6, 2014 | 12:40 pm ISTTaking a cue from their counterparts in the Odisha Police, and in light of the recent rise in crimes of sexual harassment and violence reported around Bengaluru, the Bangalore Police have planned on introducing a kiosk where people can report crimes of such nature. The Instant Complaint Logging Internet Kiosk (IClik), installed in Bhubaneshwar in January earlier this year, is the brainchild of Joydeep Nayak, Inspector General of Police, Odisha. “It’s an independent machine which has the facility of reporting crimes sexual harrassment and it helps women to come out and file a complaint”, says Nayak. “We know of cases where the women are dissuaded from filing complaints and can’t find ways to”, he adds. IClick has been started as a pilot project in the eastern state with only one machine currently up and running near a Bank of Baroda ATM in the city. A couple of weeks ago, Nayak met with officials of the Home Department in Karnataka and the Commissioner of Police Bangalore, M.N. Reddi, who confirmed that machines “of a similar nature” would be installed in the city. “The machines will be more inclusive here, and wouldn’t only focus on women, but yes, it does help women to come out and report such crimes”, he added.“A complaint can be lodged in three different ways, keeping in mind the illiterate, and it’s treated as an FIR”, says Nayak. Complainants can vocally register their grievance, write it down or send in an e-mail from the machine. According to Nayak, “We chose the ATM for a location as it has an uninterrupted supply of electricity, a security guard and CCTV cameras in tow, thereby making it safer for women”. “As soon as a complaint is lodged, the control room responds to it immediately”, he added.The machines are also user-friendly with an SMS confirmation sent to the victim’s mobile phone and Nayak says that they’ve been receiving an average of “5 complaints per day”. With the reported sexual crimes permeating the consciousness of the people of the city, this initiative by the Bangalore Police could go a long way in ensuring the safety of its citizens, especially if you know that you have such a kiosk along with the ATM around the corner.