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Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008
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Measures for better policing of State

Staff Reporter

Kodiyeri Balakrishnan chaired the first meeting of the State Security Commission on Tuesday.

Thiruvananthapuram: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said the police will verify people from other region living in Kerala without intruding into their privacy.

Speaking to journalists after chairing the first meeting of the State Security Commission here on Tuesday, Mr. Balakrishnan said the police would formulate special schemes to protect the lives and property of aged persons living alone.

He said the police would prepare a list of unoccupied houses in the State and periodically verify them. Left extremists posed no threat to Kerala, he said.

The Minister said his government’s community policing initiative, Jana Maithry Suraksha, would be extended to 13 municipalities and corporations in Kerala. The Central government had sanctioned Rs.10 crore for the purpose. The scheme would benefit Kollam, Paravur, Adoor, Cherthala, Thodupuzha, Irinjalakuda, Ottappalam, Perunthalmanna, Kalpetta, Payyannur, Kasaragode, Kozhikode and Vaikom. It had already been implemented in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, he said.

Mr. Balakrishnan said the scheme envisaged the appointment of a policeman as beat officer for 500 households. The beat officer would be responsible for collecting intelligence, recording the grievances of citizens, serving summons and executing warrants in his area of responsibility.

He said the government would constitute State, district and police station-level committees (consisting of elected representatives, senior citizens and social workers) for helping the police function better with the cooperation of the people. The police would rope in the service of private security guards (employed by various organisations and individual households) for better coverage of urban areas, particularly at night. They would be trained to be the eyes and ears of the police.

Special community policing initiatives would be launched to cover “Laksham Veedu” and Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe colonies.

The Minister said that the police would seek the help of students to check campus-centred crimes such as drug peddling and substance abuse. It would train autorickshaw, truck, bus and taxi drivers in safe driving practices.

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