With an objective of taking the police closer to the people and dispel wrong notions about the department prevailing among the people, the Bagalkot Police have taken up a unique initiative which is now been appreciated by many.
The police launched a concept called “Tereda Mane” (Open House) where schoolchildren of the district could visit any police station of their choice on Thursdays to meet personnel, interact with them and get any query answered.
The man behind the concept is Superintendent of Police of Bagalkot Lokesh Jagalasar who decided to bring children to police stations to dispel wrong notions about personnel in society.
Mr. Jagalasar said that every week, children from one school or college would be given an opportunity to visit a police station where they would be talking to personnel on different issues of law and order.
“During the visit, students would be given an understanding of the law; they will be asked to follow the law strictly in their lives. We will also try to remove fear if they have any about the police. Since the police and the people live in the same society, their cooperation is essential for each other to create a fear-free and crime-free society,” he said.
He said that this was part of efforts to ensure child-friendly policing and also to improve the impression of the police in the minds of children. During their visits, the children would be taught about police work and their responsibilities. “At the same time, children will be taught about their responsibilities as law-abiding citizens,” Mr. Jagalasar said.
He said that students of any class could visit police stations on Thursdays by informing the respective police stations about their visit so that the heads of the police stations could stay and guide the visitors.
He hoped that the initiative would help in bridging the gap between the people and the police and will make the police friendlier which has now become the aim of the department.
