A New WhatsApp Number for People with Speech and Hearing Impairments to File Police Complaints

A WhatsApp number launched by Kanpur police will now enable people with speech and hearing impairments to file complaints and express their concerns easily. People can use sign language to make videos and send it to the number. Here’s more.

People living with hearing and speech impairments in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, can now just send a WhatsApp message to report crime and lodge police complaints.

People often call 100 in case of an emergency, or to report a crime, but that becomes a challenge for those who cannot speak or hear. How can the police come to their rescue if they are unable to inform them about the incident?

To solve the issue, Kanpur police has launched a WhatsApp number: 7704020202, which can be used by people with speech and hearing impairments to file police complaints.

They can send video or text messages and get help.

The idea to launch such a service came into the picture after a fateful incident when a speech and hearing impaired girl was raped and she could not communicate the incident to the police when her parents filed the complaint. She could not read or write and hence wasn’t able to express it any other way too.

The new service will enable people to make a video conveying their message using sign language to express the concern.

If they are literate they can even send a text message to convey the same.

Once the message is received on the WhatsApp, the staff handling this service will ask a police team to reach the location and assist the person in distress. After examining the video, the staff will convert the complaint into a formal complaint and will forward the same for a proper investigation.

The initiative is part of “Ek number bharose ka” (a number to trust on) initiative, by Kanpur Police.

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