City crowns…

...the efforts of Police Sub-inspector Devidas Gheware of the Ramoshi Gate Police Chowkey to promote the Your neighbour, your friend' (Aapl...

…the efforts of Police Sub-inspector Devidas Gheware of the Ramoshi Gate Police Chowkey to promote the Your neighbour, your friend’ (Aapla shejari aapla khara paharekari) campaign launched by the city’s police commissioner, through posters, slides, audio and video cassettes…

In October 1997, when Pune Police Commissioner K K Kashyap mooted the Your neighbour, your friend’ concept and pamphlets about it were distributed, PSI Devidas Gheware was listening most attentively. The concept was aimed at making citizens aware of how common theft and burglary could be prevented through an active network of watchful neighbours and the police. “I thought that it was a very simple yet effective idea which could create alert citizens and help in reducing the crime rate. In today’s flat system, where neighbours do not know each other, community feeling could thus be fostered in the true sense. But citizens had to be made aware of the idea in the first place,” he says.

With active help of Police Inspector Vishwasrao Patil, of the Khadak Police Station, Gheware decided that colourful posters were one good way of communicating this message to the public. “After much thought, I came up with 40 tips that would help guard citizens against thefts which could be easily prevented. The tips are basic and easy to follow, such as reporting suspicious-looking people loitering around public parks and schools to the police. My artist friends, Bhimsen Mahagaonkar and Dilip Gholap, chipped in and translated these ideas into posters,” he says. These posters have been displayed at various gatherings and events, the most recent one being the food festival at the BJ Medical ground.

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“The posters need space to be displayed, which was not always available at the small mandal halls. So I got a friend to make slides of the posters,” he says. Not content with the idea of posters alone, Gheware thought that the audio-visual medium would ensure more public attention to the concept.

His first step in that direction was to make an audio cassette with the central theme of Aapla shejari, aapla khara paharekari. The cassette has snatches of Hindi songs which convey the message interspersed with helpful tips on how to guard against being swindled or robbed.

Gheware’s profession brings him in close contact with the criminal mind and the modus operandi used by criminals. “I felt that if they came to know of these commonly-used methods, citizens could be forewarned against theft. So I hit upon the idea of making a video film with the help of friends. I wrote the script and even acted as a chain-snatcher in the video!” he smiles.

The point being made through the film, which was released in February this year, is that common incidents of crime can be prevented by remaining alert. “These tips are very easy to follow. For example, a favourite modus operandi employed by chain-snatchers who generally use a two-wheeler is to come close to the victim on the pretext of seeking some address. Citizens need to be on the alert when speaking to strangers. Another common mistake people make is counting their cash in public, especially when coming out of a shop or a bank, thus attracting unwanted attention. The film makes them aware of how such incidents can be prevented by exercising a little care,” he says.

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Gheware is happy at the response his film generated when it was shown at a function at the Tilak Smarak Mandir recently, and now plans to take his message to the common man through a street play. “The police department has always been supportive of my work and my friends, among them Shantanu Thakur and Sangita Tiwari, have given me moral support by helping me whenever I put up an exhibition or show.”

The police force has cause to be proud with officers like Gheware who go beyond the call of duty to help citizens.