Written by Uthara Sunil Nair
The Bengaluru City police on Monday introduced a programme for greater community involvement in policing and maintaining law and order. The Friends of Police (FoP) initiative has already reached out to 1,250 schools and colleges, and nearly 1,150 officers have interacted with 2.11 lakh students as part of the awareness campaign organised in this regard.
“The main aim of the initiative is to encourage participation in preventing crimes such as drug abuse, trafficking, cybercrimes, and offences against women and children. It is a significant step towards refining public security and the involvement of the community,” Seemant Kumar Singh, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, said in an official statement.
The Bengaluru police plan to extend this initiative beyond students to all citizens. During the Crime Prevention Month sessions held across the city on December 1, police officers addressed key safety topics such as strengthened measures for women’s safety, anti-narcotics operations, traffic discipline, cybercrime prevention, and the importance of vigilance in communities.
The FoP programme has also launched a website – https://bcpfop.patterneffects.in – on which people are required to take a pledge while registering themselves. Feedback portals and links to download apps such as the Karnataka State Police (KSP) app, Drug Free Karnataka, and BTP ASTraM (Bengaluru Traffic Police app for commuter needs) are also available on the website.
Essential helplines like 112 Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), 1930 Cyber Fraud Helpline, 1933 Manas National Narcotics Helpline, 1908 Drug Abuse Reporting, 14490 Women’s Helpline, and 1098 Child Helpline were also discussed with the students this week.
The sessions ended with students being encouraged to take the Friends of Police pledge, committing to be responsible citizens, being vigilant against illegal activities, saying no to drugs, respecting women, and contributing to Bengaluru’s safety and harmony.