Delhi Police urges senior citizens to register in scheme

Records of Delhi Police reveal that, more than 1,000 senior citizens have so far registered themselves with the scheme in 2014, which has taken the number to shot up to 19000. 

‘This is a total security scheme with round the clock monitoring by officials. And there has rarely been a crime incident with any senior citizen registered under this scheme,’ says Rajan Bhagat, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Delhi Police.

‘We believe crime against senior citizens taking place in the national capital can entirely be curbed in no time if all senior citizens are made aware of the scheme and they register themselves as soon as possible,’ says Bhagat. This facility can be availed by both senior citizens who live on their own and the ones who are alone in their houses for certain hours in the day when their relatives are at work.

 ‘The only thing they have to do is just call the senior citizen helpline number (1291) or the police control room, visit the website or just get a registration form from their concerned police stations,’ says Bhagat. As per the records, around a hundred distress calls and 279 complaints from senior citizens were received till 30 June, 2014.

Once the senior citizens are registered to this scheme, they are issued identity cards within a short time. After that, they are visited regularly by beat constables from the concerned police station. ‘Now, how much a constable devotes to the cause that is entirely a voluntary decision. We have seen cases where constables do a number of daily work that ranges from running the errands to taking them to the doctor,’ said a police official.

This scheme involves regular meetings between local police and the registered senior citizens in their areas. This year, around 1500 such meetings have taken place so far. Besides that, nodal officers of the concerned police stations are assigned the task for periodic security audits, under which, residences are audited and senior citizens are advised on issues ranging from safety locks to hiring of maids, the official added. Till 30 June, 2014, more than 18,000 security audits have been conducted, reveals the police records.

The urge of Delhi Police has become stronger after the recent incident of former journalist Rekha Duggal, the 81-year-old who was allegedly raped and murdered by her domestic help in GK II.