Scripting success in State, and beyond

The Student Police Cadet (SPC) project has been on a roll ever since it was officially launched in the State four years ago. Many States have emulated SPC which enters 5th year today.

The Student Police Cadet (SPC) project has been on a roll ever since it was officially launched in the State four years ago.

The programme is currently operational in 325 schools across the State, with about 28,000 students undergoing training through a manpower network comprising nearly 1,000 police officers and over 650 trained teachers. The project enters its fifth year on Saturday (August 2).

P. Vijayan, Deputy Inspector General of Police, who is the State Nodal Officer of SPC project, told The Hindu that already Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and Karnataka had emulated the project. The Border Security Force (BSF) and the Puducherry government were at various stages of its implementation. The Bureau of Police Research and Development, New Delhi, had selected the project under its police micro-mission projects and decided to implement it in five States on a pilot basis, Mr. Vijayan said.

The SPC project had earlier been recommended at the National Police Science Congress 2011 at Dehra Dun as worthy of emulation by police organisations in all States.

Crime prevention

The remarkable effectiveness of the SPC project proved that the police could work in close association with schools in their jurisdiction to tackle crime and prevent anti-social activities that affected the student community. “The training programme facilitated the evolution of high school students as future leaders of a democratic society by inculcating in them respect for law, discipline, civic sense, empathy for vulnerable sections of society and resistance to social evils,” he said. As many as 3,000 schools have applied for joining the SPC. “We would like to enrol all of them ,but we need more manpower resources and financial support,” he said.

Pat from parents

Mr. Vijayan said that the cadets had demonstrated appreciable improvement in academic performance, in addition to physical wellbeing and positive mental outlook. Parents of SPCs all over the State had welcomed the benefits to their wards.

The cadets undergo outdoor training such as parade, route march, unarmed combat and yoga; take part in workshops and field visits to government institutions, police stations, courts, collectorates; and attend residential and non-residential camps and practical training for responding to contemporary issues, he said.