A well-lit room filled with books, magazines, posters, and gaming equipment is the last thing you would expect to see while walking into a police station. Yet, this is precisely what visitors will experience at three police stations in Bengaluru.
In an attempt to encourage public-friendly police stations and create awareness about laws and crimes among children, child-friendly rooms have been opened at the Vijayanagar, Magadi Road, and Govindarajanagar police stations in the city, the police said on Tuesday.
The child-friendly rooms are paired with outreach programmes like ‘open-house’ days, where students from nearby schools will be invited to visit the space and talk with police officers.
“We have established these rooms with the help of donors and Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath students. If it is successful, we will implement this in other police stations where there is space availability,” Seemant Kumar Singh, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, said.
According to the police, the goal is to give kids “a safe and comforting environment” when they visit their parents. With the rooms offering a “welcome space” instead of an intimidating one, the police hope they will help break down barriers between youngsters and law enforcement.
The spaces are stocked with educational materials as well as play items. Walls are plastered with friendly cartoons and posters about safety, and book stands hold children’s magazines. Age-appropriate lessons in the form of charts—one, for example, explains the difference between ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’—help kids learn about personal safety in a nonthreatening way.
The child-friendly rooms are paired with outreach programmes like ‘open-house’ days, where students from nearby schools will be invited to visit the space and talk with police officers. These sessions—one has already been held—will see police stations turn into hands-on classrooms where children learn about their rights and safety through fun activities and skits.
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For example, officers will explain in simple terms what the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act is, and answer questions about how it keeps children safe. Teachers and students will learn that child marriage is illegal and that every child has the right to go to school. Through games and engaging activities, children can practice talking to a “trusted adult” if something feels wrong, and memorise emergency numbers they can call for help.
“We want to help create trust in the police and reduce crime against children by making them aware of what is right and wrong,” Abhishek S K, Police Inspector, Vijayanagar police station, said. By speaking in a friendly tone and giving children helpful information, he explained, the police force hopes to change kids’ image of law enforcement.
The Bengaluru police want children to feel safe approaching a police officer when in trouble. And at these three police stations in the city, every child who leaves with a smile will be celebrated as yet another win for community policing.
Mehak Singh is an intern with The Indian Express.