Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Senior citizens to aid police in patrol

Thiruvananthapuram: The Medical College police are enlisting the help of retired government officials and other senior citizens of good social standing to better monitor residential neighbourhoods during daytime.

Nearly 65,000 people live in the Medical College police station area. There are an estimated 20,000 houses spread over nine Corporation wards. The police station, as in the case of several other station houses in the city, is severely understaffed. However, a joint night patrolling drive by the local police and members of the Neighbourhood Watch seems to have helped law enforcers make up for their lack of numbers.

“No burglary or attempted break-in has been reported in Medical College police station limits in the past 70 days,” says Thekkumoodu Sumesh, convenor of the Neighbourhood Watch.

He said volunteers from 15 residential areas take turns patrolling the area on motorbikes, by foot and in vans with local police officials. Mr. Sumesh said volunteers from 85 other residential associations in the Medical College area will soon participate in the government’s community policing initiative, Maithri Suraksha.

Residents who participated in the police-community interaction on Sunday complained that consumption of liquor in vehicles was becoming a public nuisance in Medical College and Pattom areas. Women’s College lane residents at Vazhuthacaud told the police that a restaurant owner was blocking the entrance to their neighbourhood by placing tandoori hearths on the road. They complained that the outlet was the haunt of a set of boisterous youngsters and drunks who harassed residents and Women’s College students and hostellers.

Circle Inspector, Museum, N.A. Baiju and J.K. Dinil, Sreekumar and Rajendran, sub-inspectors, attended the meeting.

T.K. Bhaskara Panicker, Purushothaman Pillai, Parthasarathy H.S. and Anil, office-bearers of Federation of Residents’ Associations, Thiruvananthapuram, were present.

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