The doors of police stations in Chikkamagaluru district were open to students on Saturday. Hundreds of children visited the stations and interacted with the officers on the day as part of the initiative – Open Day.
The purpose of the programme was to make children understand the functioning of the police and assure them that police stations are ‘children friendly’, said Akshay M. Hakay, Superintendent of Police of Chikkamagaluru.
Around 1,200 children participated in the programme across the district. The police staff invited them to the station and offered them chocolates.
The senior police officers told children that police were appointed for the people’s good. They could walk in the station anytime with their problems.
“The exercise was done to bridge the gap between the police and children. Whenever children face any issue, they can approach the police without fear”, the SP said.
Recently the rape of a minor girl was reported in Sringeri. Several people had abused her over many months. The police are investigating the case and arrested 14 persons. There was another case of a minor raped in Mudigere taluk by a close relative. Such cases were also one of the reasons for holding the programme.
“An initiative like this prompts the children to inform the police if any crime happening around them or if they themselves become victims of crime”, he said.
The issues addressed during the interaction were good touch and bad touch, domestic violence, drug abuse, addiction among parents, cyberstalking, cyber pornography, among others.
The SP said that it was a great experience for the police as well. “Many children expressed happiness about the initiative and felt that their faith in policing enhanced after interacting with the staff members”, the SP added.
