With New Year celebrations expected to draw massive crowds, City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh on Wednesday said elaborate security and traffic arrangements have been put in place here, with nearly 20,000 personnel deployed and a special focus on women’s safety.

The deployment includes personnel from law and order, traffic, crime units, reserve platoons, striking parties, anti-sabotage teams, anti-terror teams, and crime squads, totalling close to 20,000 officers. "Bengaluru is a vibrant city where people, especially for New Year’s, gather not only from the city but from across the state and the country. We are expecting a crowd of around 10 lakh people, so we are geared up for it," Singh told PTI Videos.

He said extensive arrangements have been made after nearly a month of planning. "I hope everything will pass peacefully," the commissioner added.

Highlighting women’s safety measures, Singh said, "We have given primary importance to women’s safety. Based on experiences from previous years, although incidents were not major, we are not taking any chances and have deployed more women staff." Women's help desks and shelters have been set up across the city, staffed by female police personnel and equipped with medical facilities and ambulances.

"We have asked bars and pubs to employ women bouncers, and for the first time, we have arranged for a maximum number of women drivers, including cab and motor drivers," Singh said.