Humane approach makes juveniles withdraw from crime

Nagpur: The lockdown has re-defined policing to such an extent that even some integrated programmes are bringing surprising outcomes.
The city police were surprised to find a dramatic drop in the crimes committed by the juveniles till June this year after their families received assistance from the police department including ration kit and food packets during tighter version of lockdown amid pandemic outbreak.
In 2018, city had witnessed 239 crimes committed by the juveniles or average of around 20 per month. Till June this year, only 44 offences were committed for an average of around seven per month. City had earlier the dubious distinction of having high numbers of juveniles in conflict with law.
The programme, Counselling and Reformative Education (Care), initiated for reforming and rehabilitating juvenile offenders in September 2018 by city police chief BK Upadhyay, was one such initiative that was stretched to include helping their families too during the lockdown. This led to a transformation in their behaviour too. The bonding that took place between the police and juvenile offenders is learnt to have convinced many of them to reform. The programme currently has 387 juvenile under it’s purview.
Upadhyay said crimes committed by the juvenile have seen an encouraging drop after measures like Care and Chhatra-police were made a part of policing. “We ensured several juveniles returned to the mainstream of the society abandoning the criminal path. There was a cultivated effort behind the change that ensured a sizable number of teenagers will now possibly not grow up to become a dreaded anti-social element,” he said.
Senior inspector Narendra Hiware of Lakadganj police station explained the manner in which the top cop’s Care programme was re-moulded during the lockdown. “Officers are supposed to check the juveniles who have criminal records as a part of the Care programme. Lakadganj police had six such juveniles under surveillance. We were shocked to see their hardship with no food, ration or even other basic materials at home,” said Hiware.
“Immediately, we had started diverting food packets, ration kits and other assistance from NGOs and our own initiatives to their families during the lockdown. The juveniles in turn refrained from taking part in any kind of anti-social activities despite their past record,” said Hiware.
It is learnt the Social Service Branch (SSB), under Inspector Shubhada Sankhe, had organized seven programmes for the juvenile offenders under the supervision of Addl CP, crime, Nilesh Bharne and DCP Gajanan Rajmane.
Bharne too said several juvenile offenders bonded with the cops when the latter reached out with love and caring approach. “There is a definite change of heart among youngsters who were earlier in crime,” he said.
What is done under Care:
1. Regular surveillance of the juvenile in crime
2. Ensure prompt investigation and chargesheeting
3. Coordination with police stations and Child Welfare Committe (CWC)
4. Organize programmes for psychological transformation
5. Expose them to awareness films through ‘Chhatra-police’ programme