Knock knock! It’s your friendly neighbourhood Bengaluru cop at the doorstep | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: To strengthen trust and connect better with citizens, police on Friday rolled out a people-friendly initiative titled ‘Mane Manege Police’ (police to every home), with cops quite literally knocking on doors in local neighbourhoods.The initiative, launched by home minister G Parameshwara in MC Layout in west Bengaluru, will soon be implemented across the state. As part of the drive, policemen will go door to door in their jurisdictions, not to investigate, but to interact with residents. As part of the outreach drive, cops will listen to residents’ grievances, collect key details, and try to resolve their problems. A special logbook will record each household’s concerns, while door stickers will mark homes visited by police. The cops will also educate residents on various issues such as drug abuse, crimes against women and children, and cybercrimes.The home minister, along with senior officials, visited a few houses in MC Layout after the initiative’s launch and entered the details of the occupants — such as name, age, profession, native place, how long they have been staying in the city, the languages they speak, their contact details, etc. Emphasising that police should become people-friendly, Parameshwara said: “They should not look at us (police) with fear; they should treat us as their sisters and brothers. This will help us know their issues and help build a good relationship between people and police.”How will it benefit you? According to the home minister, during their visit, police personnel will request people to share their “goods and bads”. Citizens can inform cops if they are being troubled by any anti-social elements, if anyone is troubling their children, or pushing them for drug abuse. People can also inform them about newcomers in the locality. If any resident is not speaking to anyone in the locality and trying to stay remote, it can also be flagged. The data will also help parents know the activities of their children. If they have developed any bad company, that will be informed to the parents, Parameshwara said.Data to be digitalisedAll the data collected during police house visits will be digitised. Officers will first record the details in a physical logbook, which will then be uploaded to a central system and accessed via tablets handed to beat constables. These digital records will give patrolling officers a clear idea of who lives where, who has moved in or out, whether a home is rented or owned, what language the residents speak, how many people stay there, and what they do. “We’re building a city-wide data bank of residents that can be accessed whenever needed,” said Parameshwara, while assuring that privacy concerns will be addressed. This digital profiling will also help police identify and monitor VIPs, actors, writers, and other potential soft targets, enabling timely security measures and better protection against criminal threats.
