BENGALURU: The Bengaluru police have rolled out nearly 30 ‘Safety Island’ devices across the city to aid individuals in distress. Strategically placed in high-risk areas such as Hebbal, Electronics City, Yeshwantpur, and V.V. Puram, these devices are part of the Bengaluru Safe City project designed to enhance public safety.
Safety Islands resemble blue telephone booths and are equipped with emergency call buttons directly linked to the Bengaluru Safe City Command Centre. Each unit is monitored by nearby CCTV cameras, providing real-time updates to the police about the situation. This setup ensures that people can contact authorities even if their mobile phones are inaccessible.
Since their installation between June 2023 and July 2024, the command centre has received 35 actionable alerts and 2,500 prank alerts from these devices. Despite this, no distress calls have been recorded through the Safety Islands so far. To use a Safety Island, individuals need to approach the device and press the SOS button, which connects them immediately to the nearest control room. This feature offers an additional layer of safety, complementing the city’s emergency toll-free number 112.
The introduction of these devices aims to provide a crucial alternative for individuals in emergency situations and bolster the city’s overall safety infrastructure.