Overall reduction of crimes in the city may be their aim, but they take special measures to ensure safety of women, children and senior citizens, claim the police. The measures include dedicated helpline (1090) for the elderly, partnerships with NGOs to assist them in seeking help as well as making them self-reliant and informed.
"The helpline is meant for those elderly who seek emergency medical help. However, we don't receive emergency related calls that much," said an officer. The helpline mostly receive calls from lonely old people who just want to talk to someone or who are in need of counseling.
"We are not sure if the helpline has been as effective. However, we have several volunteers, doctors and psychiatrists who come forward to help the elderly. Besides, we are also able to trace the location of the caller through our GPS software," said an officer.
That apart, the police have also strengthened community policing. "We have been encouraging senior citizens to register with us so that our constables and volunteers can visit them regularly. It will help us keep a check on their caretakers, helps and guard. We also try to keep a tab of the local security of the area, visitor profiles, etc to ensure they are living in a safe environment," said Sadanand Date, joint commissioner of police (crime).
The police have roped in several NGOs to improve the situation. Dr Sheilu Srinivasan, president of Dignity Foundation, said, "As part of our association with the cops, we will be training a large group of volunteers. They will be sent to meet senior citizens, collect their data and then they will be introduced to the respective beat marshal."
Srinivasan said their aim is to win over the elderly and help them become self-reliant. "In this day and age, it is not possible for children or family members to be with the elderly all the time."
The NGOs also hold a programme every month whereby they get the elderly to interact with local police, traffic cops, consumer cell and lawyers for redressal of their everyday problems.
Satish Shirodkar, one of the elderly volunteers, said, "We've had a lot of people coming forward to take lessons on yoga, acupressure, etc. They should be educated and motivated so that they have the will to face anything and even fight back if required."
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