Kerala - Kochi   

Community policing in for State-wide launch

Show of strength: A tug-of-war competition organised as part of the third anniversary of PRIDE in the city on Saturday.

KOCHI: The success of community policing initiatives in the city is an inspiration for implementing it in a larger scale across the State, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said.

He was speaking after the inauguration of Janakeeyam 2008, the third anniversary of Police Residents Associations Initiative in District Ernakulam (PRIDE) at the Marine Drive grounds here on Saturday.

Participatory policing will be implemented in colleges to arrest the spread of criminal activities. The police should be prepared to meet new age crimes like cyber crimes.

“The community policing initiative being implemented in the State has drawn appreciation from the Union Home Ministry. Community policing has proven successful in reducing crime rate and also to correct offenders and bring them to the mainstream,” Mr. Balakrishnan said.

The Minister announced four awards for residents associations that excelled in cleanliness and security aspects.

The Pandavath Road Residents Association, Maradu, and the Rice Research Road Residents Association, Ponnurunni, were selected for the Safe City awards for ensuring best security systems in their area.

The Karikkamuri Residents Association and the Piyoli Road Residents Association were selected for the Clean City awards, for which the criteria are aspects like general cleanliness, proper garbage bins, permanent cleaning staff, innovations like bio-gas for treatment of waste, mechanism for disposal of plastic waste, greenery and condition of internal roads.

The awards carry a cash prize of Rs.25,000 each and a chance for two representatives of the award-winning association to visit Singapore. The winners were selected from 43 applications.

Mr. Balakrishnan also inaugurated a website www.pride.org.in and an SMS facility to lodge traffic complaints.

Using this facility, people can send SMS from their mobile phones to the number 57333. The PRIDE souvenir was also released on the occasion.

K.V. Thomas, MLA, presided. Deputy Mayor C.K. Manisankar; P. Rangadasa Prabhu, president, Ernakulam District Residents Association Apex Council; E.S. Jose, president, Chamber of Commerce and Industry; lawyer Sivan Madathil; and Hashim Parakadan, State president, Residents Apex Council of Kerala, spoke.

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