KOCHI: Kochiites will soon join hands with the police to make the city a safer place to live. Starting next month, the city police will be holding a monthly meeting with each of the 840 residents association in and around the city to identify key issues in their localities. The meeting will be held at the respective police station.
“Besides, a district-level meeting involving senior police officers will be held once in a while. The system will be such that key issues will be identified, and the police officers concerned will inform the next meeting of actions taken,” said P. Vijayan, Inspector General (Kochi Range). He was addressing ‘City Conclave 2017’.
Apart from residents associations, representatives of local bodies, auto-taxi drivers unions, private security agencies, private bus employees association, two-wheeler clubs, and ChildLine attended the conclave. “Police beats will be rescheduled to frequently cover areas where vulnerable people live,” the officer added.
Meanwhile, the police have kick-started a survey to prepare a list of ‘soft targets’ such as elderly people staying alone. The exercise is held in the five police districts of Ernakulam City, Ernakulam Rural, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Idukki.
In view of reports of the rise in the number of young brains from Kochi tripping on psychedelic drugs, the police are embarking on a partnership build-up initiative with the Social Justice Department. “Volunteers of residents associations will be part of the initiative to prove reports like drug supply around schools,” Mr. Vijayan said.
Steps are also in place to install as many as 400 CCTV cameras in and around Kochi, and ₹1 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose.
Last year, a review of the security cover in city high-rises made by the police had revealed that nearly 40% of apartments within the city limits were vulnerable to organised criminal activities. Of the 362 apartment complexes in Kochi, around 40% were owned by non-resident Indians, and they remain either unoccupied for long or have occasional occupancy.
