The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : City leads the way in community policing

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Friday, Mar 14, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

City leads the way in community policing

Anand Haridas

KOCHI: While the rest of the State is working towards the launch of Jana Maitri Suraksha, a community policing initiative, the city police and residents’ associations are confident that they have made headway in this direction. “The programme is more or less the same as the community policing we have now; only that it is being institutionalised. With the launch of City Lights, community policing in the city will be on a much advanced level,” said Manoj Abraham, City Police Commissioner.

City Lights is an initiative that will involve modernising of the beat patrol system and setting up cameras at important points in the city. The existing surveillance cameras at different points will be linked to the network, to be monitored from the Police Control Room.

Three stations selected

Three police stations — Fort Kochi, Palarivattom and Gandhi Nagar — have been selected in the city to implement the Jana Maitri Suraksha programme on a trial basis. One of the main components of the programme is dividing the police station area to beats with a head constable in charge. The idea is to enhance interaction between the police and residents in the area.

Community policing initiatives in the district have been streamlined, with the Police Residents Associations Initiative in District Ernakulam (PRIDE) completing three years. The Jana Maitri programme has drawn a lot from the model set by PRIDE.

Jana Maitri has components for taking out joint night patrols, posting traffic wardens, special programmes for safety of women and children as well as senior citizens, imparting traffic awareness for children and formation of committees involving prominent persons from the locality to chart out action plans.

“Committees have been formed at these three police stations and related works are progressing for the launch,” said P.K. Gopalakrishnan, general secretary of Ernakulam District Residents Association Apex Council (EDRAAC).

PEACE committees

The Apex Council has also set up platforms for interaction with other departments, along the lines of PRIDE. “A circle-level committee with the Deputy Chief Engineer as convener has been formed for the People Electricity Association for Coordinated Efforts (PEACE),” said Mr. Gopalakrishnan. Committees will be formed at the division and section levels.

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