Coimbatore rural police launch ‘Project Pallikoodam’ for safety of school students

COIMBATORE The Coimbatore District (Rural) Police have identified places in their jurisdiction where

The Coimbatore District (Rural) Police have identified places in their jurisdiction where incidents of crimes against children have been reported frequently. Such places have been categorised as ‘hotspots’ and extra attention will be given under its new initiative ‘Project Pallikoodam’.

The project, launched by the Coimbatore Rural Superintendent of Police V. Badrinarayanan on Friday, is aimed at creating awareness among school students on their safety.

According to Mr. Badrinarayanan, the police studied the cases of crimes against children reported in Coimbatore rural for the past two years. Based on the number of instances, the hotspots were identified, he said.

“There are 997 schools in the jurisdiction of the rural police. Designated police personnel from each police station will reach out to all the school students and organise awareness programmes,” he said.

Each police station has a child welfare officer. The police teams will get in touch with the principal of every school and conduct awareness activities, distribute pamphlets on child safety.

“The awareness activities will be conducted for students in two sections – children aged below 10 and those above 10. While children aged below 10 will be educated on basic aspects of child safety such as a good touch and a bad touch, others will be educated on emerging issues including safety in the cyberspace, as they are increasingly using smart gadgets,” Mr. Badrinarayanan said.

The rural police on Friday returned 105 mobile phones, which were reported missing or stolen, to their owners after the Cybercrime police station recovered them. According to the police, 235 mobile phones valued around ₹ 35 lakh were traced and handed over to owners so far.