Shillong, May 22 : Meghalaya's new Director General of Police (DGP) Idashisha Nongrang will hold public meetings every week to address people's grievances, officials said on Wednesday.

Nongrang, who is the first woman police officer of Meghalaya to take charge as DGP, will hold meetings with the general public every Thursday between 11 A.M. and 2 P.M.

An official statement said that the first meeting will take place on May 30.

Meanwhile, after taking charge, DGP Nongrang said, 'I firmly believe that women view the world from a very different perspective, and I would work to leverage this perspective to make sure that women feel much safer and better about themselves as well as to improve accessibility.

'I know there is much scope for improvement when it comes to how accessible the police are to the general public.'

She also said that despite the serious efforts being made to stop crimes against women, the fact is that such crimes are on the rise across the state.

'We have to think about our strategy and we may take a new approach to deal with the situations,' DGP Nongrang stated.

The top cop also expressed her worry about increasing cases of drug menace in Meghalaya.

She said, 'Earlier Shillong used to be a transit point for drug peddlers. However, now peddlers have got consumers here. This is very disappointing. We must make best efforts to stop drug menace not only with the aid of law but also by involving families of the drug victims to spread awareness against the intake of narcotics.'

DGP Nongrang, who took charge on Monday, has succeeded LR Bishnoi who retired from the post on Sunday.

She was the Director General of Civil Defence and Home Guard in Meghalaya before being appointed to this position.

Idashisha Nongrang was an IPS officer from the 1992 batch. She will hold the post of DGP from May 20, 2024, until May 19, 2026, for a set term of two years.

/IANS