Senior citizens security cell in city soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city police have some good news for senior citizens. The police are launching a Senior Citizens’ Security Cell for addressing the grievances of the elderly and to instill in them a sense of safety, City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham has said. The Commissioner announced the decision during a meeting of residents’  associations here the other day. He told City Express that the details will be finalised soon. ‘’The structure of the cell and its terms of reference will be finalised within two days. The scheme is part of our community policing initiative,’’ he said. However, he said that the decision was not because there was a sudden spurt in crimes against the elderly. ‘’Things are normal and well under control,’’ he said.  The recommendation to form the cell was tabled at a previous Maithri meeting. And this had evoked keen interest from the elderly citizens. So far, over 500 senior members of the society have registered with the cell, he said, addressing the meeting held at the Armed Reserve Police Camp at Nandavanam. The cell is exclusively meant to address the issues of the senior citizens. Policemen will call on the registered senior citizens once every fortnight. Once a month, they will be contacted by the Station House Officers on the phone. Apart from lodging complaints, the elderly can also avail of the assistance of the police during emergencies. The number of elderly people living alone in cities is on the rise with the younger generation opting to work outside the State and abroad. In fact, the safety of this category of the population has been a cause of concern as they are soft targets for criminals. No wonder that the residents’ associations, which are actively involved in the community policing scheme, have lauded the initiative. ‘’The cell is most essential for curbing crimes against old people living in secluded houses. The prevalence of the nuclear family has made the cell the need of the hour,’’ said Punchakari Ravi, patron of Federation of Residents’ Associations, Thiruvananthapuram (FRAT), an apex body which claims a membership of over 300 associations. The new cell will be a boon to hundreds of old people whose children are working abroad, he said. Senior citizens can register with the cell online on the website www.tvmcitypolice.gov.in or directly with police on 100 or 1090.