The district police have set up a special juvenile police unit and appointed child welfare police officers in all the police stations in the district for the care and protection of children.
Responding to the October 1 dated communication from the Director General of Police (DGP) and October 10 communication from the Additional DGP (Crime Branch CID), Superintendent of Police N. Manivannan set up the unit, complying with the provisions of section 107 of the Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act, 2015. The unit is headed by Gandhimathi Nathan, Deputy Superintendent of Police, District Crime Record Bureau and comprising two social workers – R. Maheshwaran and M.M. Poongodi from the Child Protection Unit, District Child Protection Officer S. Duraimurugan said.
Besides, the SP appointed police personnel, one each in all the 49 police stations in the district, including 26 woman police personnel, as child welfare police officers, he said. “This is the first district in the State to have set up the unit,” he said.
Police personnel, who were appointed as child welfare officers would exclusively deal with children, either as victims or perpetrators, in coordination with police, voluntary and non governmental organisations. They would be in plain clothes when they deal with cases, involving children below 18 years, he added.
The Child welfare police officers would inform the special juvenile police unit before proceeding with the cases, he said. The officers would also deal with children covered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, he added.
