While the author was working as Commissioner of Police, Mysore city a unique community policing initiative–“Namma Mane Police–Akshara Arakshaka” was launched in Mysore city which was aimed at bringing police closer to the community through children. This initiative received a lot of appreciation and was recommended for the Prime Minister of India award for excellence in Administration by the Karnataka State Police.
Title of the Initiative:
“NAMMA MANE POLICE ”(Kannada Name) (OUR HOME POLICE)
“AKSHARA-ARAKSHAKA ”(Kannada Name) (ALPHABET POLICE OREDUCATION POLICE)
Summary
(A) Purpose & Priorities of the Initiative
The purpose of “Namma Mane Police” and “Akshara-Arakshaka” was to make the police, people friendly in general and children friendly in particular, through periodical interaction.
Priorities
(a) To create positive imagea bout police in the minds of children.
(b) Identification of school dropouts and facilitate their re-admission to the school.
(c) Discouraging child labour.
(d) Prevention of crimes committed by juveniles.
(B) Date of implementation of the initiative
23-05-2011 to 20-06-2011(Akshara–Arakshaka)
23-05-2011 – Contd. (Namma Mane Police)
Problem
Changing The Negative Image Of The Police.
As we are all aware that negativity about the police starts from childhood. All of us would remember how our parents used to control us by saying that’ if you will do badmashi the police will come and pick you up (police pakadke le jayegi)’. Also we all have grown up watching films depicting police either as corrupt, obese, misbehaved or objects of humour. All this negativity about police gets embedded deeply in the impressionable minds of children and they grow as responsible adults carrying the same negative impression about the police in general. Inview of this to change the negative image about police, children should be our target group so that damage control can be done from the beginning itself. Keeping this in mind we, Mysore city police thought of aunique project nicknamed ‘Akshara-Arakshaka’ which in English means “The Alphabet Police” or “Education Police”. This programme was dovetailed with the existing community policing programme of the police department and accordingly a broader concept of “Namma Mane Police” i.e. “Our Home Police” was launched in Mysore City.
Goals
The purpose of “Namma Mane Police” is to strengthen the police-public relation through constant interaction. This programme also strengthens the New Beat System as per Government of Karnataka Gazette Notification No: 217 SST/2010, dated: 21-06-2010 and is completely in harmony with the spirit of the notification. It is a community policing programme whereby each police personnel designated as CPO (Community Police Officer) is made in-charge of 200 houses that fall under his regular beat for effective handling of any issue related to the police department as quick as possible. A total number of 800 police personnel @ 50 police personnel per police station across 16 police stations who hitherto have been working as CPOs performing beat duties in their respective beats have been made a part of this programme. The above figure was arrived after it was found that roughly 10,000 houses are there in one police station limits (total of 1,60,000 houses in 16 police station limits). Hence 10,000 houses÷50 (police personnel per police station)= 200 houses per CPO.
“Akshara – Arakshaka” is part of “Namma Mane Police”. The purpose of “ Akshara–Arakshaka” is to make the children, police friendly andvice versa i.e., police, children friendly through interaction. During door to door visit by the police as a part of ‘Namma Mane Police’ programme, the CPOs were advised to consider children as their target audience and to interact with them thereby correcting the negative image of police perceived by the children through their childhood grounding. Further on, getting information about school dropouts lists was made and in due course such children were admitted to the school with the help of education department.This effort by the police improves the chance of the children continuing in the school and the crimes committed by the juveniles also relatively come down.
The unique “Namma Mane Police” programme was launched in Mysore city on 23-05-2011 jointly by the then Hon’ble Urban Development & Law Minister, Government of Karnataka and Hon’ble Medical Education & Mysore District Incharge Minister, Government of Karnataka.
Innovation
As a great value addition to the above programme, the mobile service provider Airtel offered to provide 800 Nokia mobile handsets with life time prepaid SIM cards to each of the 800 CPOs at a nominal one time cost of Rs. 100/- per mobile handset which the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) volunteered to pay.
The 800 mobile numbers @ 50 mobile numbers per police station in a running series have been activated and handed over to the 800 CPOs to enable them to receive any call made from their respective group of 200 houses in case of emergencies for police help.This would bring him closer to the community. An information sticker carrying the name and photo of the CPO, his mobile number, his police station telephone number, Police Control Room Number and numbers of all functioning help lines of Mysore viz., Women Help Line, Children Help Line, Senior Citizen Help Line etc. has been pasted inside each and every house for the benefit of the citizens.
The above has resulted in a strong positive message about police being an integral part of the society and truly citizen and children friendly in the city of Mysore.
Implementation
Each constable nominated as Community Police Officer has been allotted 200 houses. On each day during the period of implementation each Community Police Officer (CPO) was instructed to visit fifteen houses for the purpose of collecting family data, interact with the family members especially children. Interaction with children by the police created positive impact in the minds of children who were earlier scared to even look at the police.
The initiative and interest taken by the police in the identification and re-admission of the children who were dropped out of school for various reasons created positive image of the police among cross sections of the society.
Role of Various Stakeholders
(a) Mysore City Police:-
“Akshara Arakshaka – Namma Mane Police” is the initiative of Mysore city police. All the 800 Community Police Officers (CPO) were addressed /trained by the senior police officers viz. Commissioner of Police, DCPs and area ACPs before deploying them for interaction with the children. They were sensitized about the significance of the new initiative by the Mysore city police. Everyday they were briefed about the positive impact of their interaction with the family members, mainly children.
These senior police officers also personally visited many houses in different police station jurisdictions and interacted with the family members including children.
(b) Education Department:-
Teachers from various schools visited households along with the Community Police Officers.
(c) Mysore City Corporation:-
Provided 800 Airtel mobile handsets to the Community Police Officers.
- Transparency and stakeholder participation
The stakeholders particularly the Mysore city police visited every single house allotted to each of the community police officers. Mysore city police now has the database pertaining to about a lakh households.
- Innovativeness of theinitiative and itsreplicability
Although re-admission of dropout children is not the job of police department, Mysore city police has taken a proactive initiative in the identification and re-admission of dropout children in various schools as per their convenience. This act of police created a positive image about police and also helped in the prevention of crimes by juveniles.
- Increased efficiency of outputs/processes and effectiveness of outcomes
Re-admission of dropout children by the Mysore city police provided a sense of relief to the parents. Children also felt that the police is their friend and guide since the respective Community Police Officers (CPO) periodically visited their allotted households due to which the rapport of the children and the citizens got strengthened.
- Display of leadership /team work by the officers
This innovative programme involved co-ordination wit hand co-operation from various department and agencies such as Zilla Panchayat, City Corporation, District Administration, Education department, Labour department etc. The senior police officers displayed their leadership quality and team work in soliciting co-operation from other departments. Media and the citizens of Mysore city overwhelmingly appreciated this children friendly programme initiated by Mysore city police.
- Sustainability of the initiative
All the Community Police Officers have been provided with mobile phones with individual numbers with the help of Mysore City Corporation and Airtel. Citizens can contact them at any time, for any issue which requires immediate police intervention thereby acting as abridge between the community and the police stations.
Senior police officers i.e. CP, DCPs & ACPs constantly monitor this innovative programme by making surprise visit to the various households and interacting with the drop out children who have been readmitted to the school by the police. Also Community Police Officers are being sensitized regularly by the senior officers.
Results:
(A) Outcome i.e. impact /benefits resulting from the initiative:
- Improvement in delivery time of services.
- Better beneficiaries feedback.
- Improvement in measurable indicators.
- Simplified procedures.
During visit to various households by the CPOs, 67 school dropouts were identified. 61 drop out children were re-admitted to various schools. Mysore city police facilitated re-admission ensuring better future for them, thereby reducing probability of crimes by the juveniles.
(B) Has the outcome or impact of the initiative been audited or evaluated by any independent agency for reality check of the realized benefits vis-a-vis those envisaged?
Yes, Mysore city police has maintained the list of readmitted drop out children. The education department confirmed that all the identified dropout children were readmitted. Media also wholeheartedly appreciated this initiative.
Sunil Agarwal, IPS (Karnataka 1991, 44RR)
Additional Director General of Police,Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement, Bangalore.(Former Commissioner of Police, Mysore City)
