Chennai: “The newly implemented criminal laws focus on women’s safety and envisage stringent punishment for offenders, victim-centric procedures, e-FIRs, zero FIRs, and time-bound medical reporting,” said Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai.He spoke at the inauguration of the 11th national conference of women in police on Wednesday. The two-day national conference, jointly organized by the Tamil Nadu police and the bureau of police research and development (BPRD), is being held at the Tamil Nadu Police Academy. Rai stressed the need to increase representation of women in policingand enhance basic workplace facilities. He also highlighted the Union ministry’s initiatives aimed at strengthening women’s safety nationwide, including the establishment of help desks, modernised forensic infrastructure, and tech-based platforms such as ITSSO.Rajeev Kumar Sharma, director-general of BPRD, said the conference theme — ‘Women Police and Empowerment: Best Practices, Challenges and Way Forward’ — reflected evolving priorities in law enforcement.tnn