Janamaithri Suraksha Project - Kerala Police

provided to them. The printed materials are supplied to houses in the Beats which also provide them
with informations such as Beat Officer’s phone number, and other Police telephone numbers and
various services available with the Police. A docu-drama is also being staged for the purpose of spreading
the message and mission of the project among the general public. To give publicity about the Community
Policing scheme and to attract more and more people into the ambit of the Scheme, various audio
visual publicity activities are undertaken. Short films and sponsored programmes have been telecast
through the visual media and radio programmes like radio jingles and skit have been broadcast.
To disseminate information about Community Policing Project and to analyse the ongoing
strategies and to bring in new ideas, seminars with participation of all stakeholders have been
conducted in each District. State Level seminars were organised with the participation of all M.L.As,
Municipal Chairpersons and Panchayath Presidents of the places where the Janamaithri Projects
were newly started. Moreover conducting of Police Station/Beat level meetings/seminars also are
extremely important, and hence these are being regularly held.
The Community Policing project in Kerala is barely 5 years old. Within this short span, we
organized a Global Community Policing Conclave at Kochi in 2010. Besides sharing our experience
with others, by interacting with experts from other countries, we were able to identify appropriate
strategies for management of crime, maintenance of public order, etc. through Community Policing.
Thus we were able to upgrade the current programme on the basis of relevant international experience.
Further, it also gave us an opportunity to show-case the Kerala Model for the benefit of the International
community. A Compendium of the Conclave papers was also published.
In 2011, Community Policing became a part of the law of the land as the same has been
included in the newly enacted Kerala Police Act.
The Police Department has undertaken various studies of the Project by engaging external
agencies. These study reports are available at the Kerala Police website, www.keralapolice.gov.in.
Various International agencies and individuals have also undertaken studies of this project. It
is a matter of great pride for us that an infant project, just five years old has been noticed by various
International Agencies, Sociologists, Criminologists and Police practitioners. We have included some
of the studies/reports in this Almanac.
We are extremely grateful to the Government for supporting us to start a Community Policing
Research Wing. Using the plan funds allotted during the current financial year, we have been able to
document the research and training activities of the project. We have started a Journal, viz:
‘Janamaithri: A Journal of Democratic Policing’. The Journal is available at www.democraticpolicing.org.
We have also started a Community Policing News Letter (Janamaithri Police Vartha Pathrika)
to publish and disseminate various activities of the project, especially among the policy makers,
Beat Officers and Janamaithri Security Committee members.
The paths traversed during these five years have been very hard, but we could achieve
results only with the support of the Government, the people of Kerala, and various stakeholders
including the practitioners, scientists and the media. The internal and external marketing of the project
has been a big challenge. It will continue to be so. We remember with deep gratitude the relentless
support of the Government, the Planning Board, the practitioners and scientists, the media and the
people for their relentless support.
The road ahead is full of challenges. We need to establish a Community Policing Academy
to train the community members and Police personnel. We have to continue with research activities
with greater vigour. The biggest challenge of shortage of Police personnel to work as Beat Officers
has to be overcome. Setting up a benchmark for the project is a big challenge, which needs to be
further supported by the well wishers and experts. But as we have already won the hearts of the
people of Kerala, beyond all barriers of political and socioeconomic differences, we are very optimistic
about taking the project further ahead.
We dedicate this Almanac in the fifth year to the people who believe in Democratic Policing.
Dr.B.Sandhya IPS
Nodal Officer, Janamaithri Suraksha Project,
Kerala.