Helps us help you, police request NGOs

And the response was hearty. Panelists at the seminar held under the week long `Crime Prevention’ campaign, included Dr Sheilu Srinivasan of the Dignity Foundation, Gersen D’cunha of AGNI, Dr Mehta of Nirmala Niketan, Dr Neelam Gorhe of the Stree Aadhar Kendra and advocate Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar, chairperson, State Women Commission. However, as each of them expressed their desire to help the police in their functions, the running bone of contention was the insensitivity with which the police handle cases.

“We had a case where two senior citizens, sisters, were being harassed by their brother…when we went and spoke to the senior inspector, he gave us a kind hearing and we were happy. But when the constable came to the house, he started talking to the brother rather insensitively, asking him why he was harassing the women,” narrates Srinivasan arguing that the lower cadre of police required sensitisation. She offered services through the Dignity Foundation to help the police in this regard.

Singh himself asked the Dignity Foundation if they could help them get details of the number of senior citizens living in the city so that it could help them protect them better. “I had sent my men around, but I got a list of only 1800 people, which is of course much less than the real figure”, he says. To this Srinivasan too admitted that there was a sense of insecurity and suspicion in the minds of the senior citizens and the need was to create a better awareness of the services and the helpline that runs for 10 hours daily.

Speaking on the success of AGNI, D’cunha claims that what had begun with six citizens a year and a half back today had dozens of organisations comprising a 100,000 people. Having had organised five meet-your-police events, he listed the need for such interactions which leads to the fostering of trust between the two sections of society. Quoting R H Mendonca, former chief of the Anti Corruption Bureau, he admitted that “individuals cannot fight crime, for which you need organisations”. But he expressed faith in community organisations which could “co-partner” the police in crime.

He suggested that like the BMC, the Mumbai police too could come together with AGNI on a similar platform. “The political disadvantages under which the police find themselves working is also an area in which the NGOs might be seen as allies,” he said.

Gorhe, chairperson of the Stree Aadhar Kendra which has been implementing a `Zero violence’ programme in police stations of Chembur and Worli and in the rural districts of Pune says she had plans to expand them to other parts of the city as well. However, she too stresses on the need for gender sensitisation of the lower cadre of the police who she felt should be given a greater role to play. “Mohalla committees and local organisations, too can be used for intervening in NC matters,” she urged.