T Subash (27) from Arumbakkam is a techie placed in a reputed MNC. S Aishwarya (17) from Kannagi Nagar was selected as the best kabbadi player from Kancheepuram district and rewarded by the Chief Minister last year. 

Twelve other girls from the same locality are representing Tamil Thalaivas, a kabbadi team in the Pro Kabbadi League. Esakki Rajesh of Arumbakkam and K Anitha (17) of Kannagi Nagar are among the toppers in Class 12 from their respective localities and talented kabbadi players, having participated in the national-level event twice. Six young men from Virugambakkam and 12 from Chintadripet have joined the police force in different cadres. These students might be from different areas, but they are connected by a common thread—they were and are all students of Boys and Girls Clubs run by Greater Chennai Police in the city.

Fifteen years since its inception, as part of the community policing initiative, these Boys and Girls clubs are making a silent revolution of sorts by training youth from lower income groups and crime-prone areas to achieve many things—in different fields—be it sports, education and other extra-curricular skills. These clubs are platforms that offer these students facilities like private tuitions and sports activities which they otherwise cannot afford. While each police station is supposed to manage a club for teens in the locality, some of the clubs are doing phenomenal work with the help of NGOs and funds from MNCs.

Kannagi Nagar: Started in 2011 with 54 children, the Kannagi Nagar Police Boys and Girls Club has grown to 156 now and has been witnessing a flurry of activities. “The tuition classes were started in 2013 and since then, the club has been giving 100 per cent results. Last year, K Anitha scored 1062 in Class 12 board exams. The girls’ kabbadi team has been making the Kanchipuram district proud with stellar performances. “Recently, Jeppiar University came forward to sponsor the college education, food and accommodation of 20 students from the club to represent their team in kabbadi competitions,” said K Tamizh (26), caretaker of the club. “Usually, Arumbakkam would get a trophy from the Commissioner every year for their overall performance, but this year Kannagi Nagar has overtaken them,” said N Sivakumar, Inspector of Kannagi Nagar. Interpersonal skill development, smart classrooms, and boxing classes for girls are some other initiatives undertaken by the Kannagi Nagar police with guidance from Sashank Sai, Deputy Commissioner, Adyar. 

Chintadripet: Chintadripet Police Boys Club, which is known for producing national and international level carrom players is now also excelling in football and has become a registered club with the Chennai Football Association. “It is difficult to stop students from being drawn to unlawful activities like drug addiction and petty criminal behavior. By getting into the club, 60 students have instead excelled in various sports,” said Vijayan, caretaker of the club. 

Arumbakkam: Though Arumbakkam Boys and Girls Club initially catered only to children from nearby slums, now, even the students of popular private schools want to enroll with the club, courtesy of its incredible educational initiatives. Krishnamoorthy, Scout master of the club, says that the model question papers prepared by experienced volunteers in the club are popular even among schools in the locality. After regular school subjects, the club also conducts child parliament sessions to help students understand the way the government functions, along with teaching them responsibilities of citizens and those in power. 

“We also issue sanitary napkins to girl students at no cost and engage in clean-up activities in the locality. When students leave the club as they grow up, most of them join the Friends of Police movement,” says Krishnamoorthy. The teams from cities of different states such as Bengaluru and Gurgoan visited the club recently to see if they could adapt a similar model in their schools. The Boys and Girls club which was recently inaugurated in Saidapet is also said to be performing exceptionally well.

Working with these Police Boys and Girls clubs, A Bosgo, project manager of NGO Aide et Action, said that this initiative by the police department has done  wonders since 2003. 

“These clubs were formed to provide a learning space outside school for children whose living conditions could easily mislead them into unlawful activities. Each club is managed by a particular police station and Inspector (Law and Order) is responsible for its functioning. 

Each club has a Scout master and a caretaker. HCL Foundation is taking care of the financial needs—salaries of caretakers and Scout masters, etc—of 26 clubs in the city while police source funds from well-wishers to help struggling students” he said.

Some clubs have taken one step further, as they have begun training adults—women in particular—to help them land jobs. 

“Talks are going on with cab aggregators to give them employment, and arrangements are also being made to secure loans for them to buy vehicles,” said N Sivakumar, inspector of Kannagi Nagar police station.  

While success of these Boys clubs is mainly because of the interest shown by the inspectors with the guidance by a few higher officials like Commissioner of Police AK Viswanathan and Deputy Commissioner (Intelligence) Thirunavukkarasu and financial assistance by MNCs, stakeholders wanted all the police stations to give due attention to the Boys and Girls clubs in their jurisdiction. “There should be a system in place to ensure that activities of the Boys and Girls club are not affected in case an inspector is transferred out,” said a Scout master on condition of anonymity.