Residents of Bandra have raised their own force to deal with petty crime following a sharp rise in incidents of pick-pocketing, chain snatchings, and house break-ins.

While a thousand people have shown interest in volunteering, 45 active members have joined hands under Haiyya, an initiative to encourage collective action, to make Bandra a safer place. Led by Deepti Doshi, 32, a Harvard graduate, the volunteers, connected through an SMS/email network, not only keep a vigil in the neighbourhood, but also help victims of petty crimes.

"The idea came about after the Delhi gang-rape. We thought we must bring citizens together for fighting crime and other community initiatives. That's how Haiyya was born. People's response has been fabulous. We run various campaigns, including a public safety campaign," said Doshi, one of Haiyya's founders.

Haiyya volunteers help victims of crime in filing complaints and following up with the authorities concerned. "Volunteers track the incidents of robbery and chain snatching. They try and reach out to victims to help them register a police case and follow up on the progress after the crime. The victim is then given all help he may require. The campaign has had good impact. We are now also working with residents in other areas like Chembur," Doshi said. The campaign has a neighbourhood watch programme that has been started by the Bandra volunteers.

Recently, Haiyya volunteers helped Delia D'souza, a senior citizen who was robbed. She reached out to the volunteers after a robbery at her house. The police was not following up on her case. Haiyya volunteers then accompanied her to the police station and asked them to pursue her case. They met with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) demanding quick action. “Delia was able to get her robbed items back within 15 days. Haiyya volunteers were with her through out the process of filing a complaint and have been following up with the police on investigations,” Doshi said.

To join as a volunteer, all one has to do is log on to the website www.haiyya.in. Once you register, Haiyya has a three-month fellowship programme, where they provide the fellows with leadership training. Later, the fellows work directly with the communities and build their own volunteer team.

Haiyya volunteers recently distributed whistles across housing societies as part of their whistle blowing campaign. The whistles are expected to help security guards alert people in case there is any incident.