The city police’s initiative to protect senior citizens living alone — Abhaya — has completed one year. Impressively, not a single crime has been reported against this demographic since the scheme was launched.
The scheme was launched in December 2013, on the lines of the Aasare scheme for senior citizens in coastal districts, following the double murders of senior citizens in the city. The murders had shocked and worried elderly persons as Mysuru had the reputation of being a pensioners’ paradise.
“Not a single crime has been reported against senior citizens living alone after the launch of the scheme. I believe the initiative was successful in promising security to the elderly,” said Police Commissioner M.A. Saleem, who was instrumental in launching the scheme.
Identified after survey
Mr. Saleem told The Hindu that senior citizens — men and women — living alone in 1,100 households had been covered under the Abhaya scheme. They had been identified after a survey by the respective police stations. Point books have been kept at their houses and the night beat police of the respective station have to make an entry every night.
The Community Police Officer, under the ‘Namma Mane Police’ programme, visits the senior citizens’ homes in the day and interacts with them. The Police Commissioner said the inspectors of the respective police stations had been asked to advise those who neglected elderly persons. Some citizens had been deserted by their children.
“We have managed to sort out rifts by counselling family members/children,” he said.
On the request of elderly persons, the police also intervened and sorted out differences between them and their family members in property and domestic issues, he said.
A Community Police Officer was assigned 250 households, including those covered under the Abhaya scheme, coming under the respective station limits under the Namma Mane Police programme.
The respective police station had been asked to intervene if senior citizens were troubled by neighbours or others in the localities and resolve their difficulties, he said.
