Sisters in khakhi: Women cops bridge trust gap in Adilabad schools

Hyderabad: Women police constables in Adilabad district have begun visiting schools with an unusual request to students — to address them as ‘police akka' (elder sister). The friendly initiative aims to build trust among girl students and encourage them to confide in the police about any problems they may face.The concept, introduced by Adilabad superintendent of police (SP) Akhil Mahajan, was formally launched on November 4. From Thursday (Nov 6), designated ‘police akkas' from each police station started visiting schools across the district."To the students, it was a surprise when I said they should address me as ‘akka'. I told them that I consider each one of them my ‘chelli' (younger sister) and that they can trust me enough to share any problem," said woman police constable Sony Vadaskar, speaking to STOI. She visited the Zilla Parishad High School in a village in Bheempur mandal and interacted with students from classes 8, 9 and 10.On Thursday, women constables from 19 police stations took part in the outreach, which will now become a regular exercise. "We are talking to the girls about the concepts of ‘good touch and bad touch'. We do not want them to suffer in silence. Some students may hesitate to approach teachers or parents to report misbehaviour. Through regular interactions, we want to build their confidence so that they can speak up," said Vani Sri, who heads the ‘She Teams' in Adilabad.The ‘police akkas' are also educating students about cybercrime and online safety so that the latter do not fall prey to such crimes. "When the girls trust us, they will feel comfortable reporting if anyone is taking advantage of them. We assure them that their privacy will be protected and that complaints will be handled discreetly. Their names will not be disclosed even as complainants. We have also told them they can confide in us if any of their friends are facing trouble," Vani Sri added.Police officials noted that similar initiatives in the past have helped identify and prevent crimes against children. In one instance, a second standard student confided in officers about a man who had subjected her to inappropriate touch (bad touch), a concept she had learnt about during a police awareness session. The accused was promptly arrested.SP Mahajan launched the ‘police akka' initiative at a social welfare school, addressing around 250 girl students. A dedicated helpline number — 8712659953 — has also been shared with students to report cases of harassment, teasing, or any other form of distress.