Madurai police launch ‘Police Akka’ scheme in schools

Madurai: Madurai police on Thursday introduced the ‘Police Akka’ scheme in schools as part of safety awareness programmes conducted for students on the reopening day of the new academic year.Under the initiative, police officers will visit schools every 10 to 15 days, or at least once a month, to review safety measures and provide girl students with a platform to report concerns related to their safety.The Madurai district police conducted awareness sessions for girl students in four schools across the city on women’s safety, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, road safety, responsible social media use and the Police Assistant App.K Indirani, inspector of police and head of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), led the programmes. She educated students about emergency helpline numbers, including 100, 181 and 1098, and highlighted the services of the Pink Patrol and the recently launched Singappen special task force for women’s safety.She urged students not to hesitate to contact the police or use helpline numbers if they faced any threat or danger.The awareness programmes were held at OCPM Higher Secondary School, Ponmudiyar Girls High School, Kakkai Padiniyar Girls Higher Secondary School and Balamandiram High School.Meanwhile, district collector P Akash distributed uniforms, notebooks and other educational materials to students at a function held at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Mahaboopalayam to mark the beginning of the new academic year.