Bengaluru Police launch dedicated helpline to prevent suicides

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: If you suspect that someone in your vicinity is mentally distressed and may contemplate taking a drastic step like suicide, you can prevent them from doing so.

To provide information about such individuals, the city police has introduced "We Care" a 24/7 helpline which can be reached on 8277946600.

Considering the rising number of suicide cases in Bengaluru, CK Baba, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, South-East division, took up an initiative and suggested that a helpline be launched to prevent suicide cases.

During October, a youth managed to save the life of his distressed friend in the nick of time by calling up the police control room.

The police along with the youth, broke open the door at a PG and found his friend sitting on the bed, seemingly on the verge of suicide. There were other incidents such as this which prompted the tech-savvy DCP to launch the helpline.

"This year alone saw at least 1,967 deaths by suicide until October in the city," CK baba told News Trail.

"Many people, for various reasons, decide to end their lives by taking the extreme step. One significant reason for this is relationship-related issues. In today’s era, people extensively use the internet and social media, which contributes to the rising suicide rates. Additionally, societal factors also force people to take drastic steps," he said.

The senior official also said that often people in the vicinity have knowledge about individuals facing mental distress but cannot intervene as there is no proper mechanism in place.

Therefore, the helpline number has been introduced to encourage people to report such cases openly and help save lives.

The DCP further said that the number is accessible on WhatsApp providing the people an option where they can text the police if they are not comfortable with calling.

The helpline also offers assistance in other languages other than Kannada. CK Baba emphasized that individuals providing information will not face any harassment.

"When a report is made, the respective police team will visit the individual and provide proper counseling and motivation. Counseling will also be facilitated by mental health professionals from NIMHANS and other experts," he added.