Cuttack, Jan. 27: For senior citizens in the CDA Phase II police station limits, help is just a WhatsApp away.
CDA Phase-II police station now has a dedicated WhatsApp number - 09439164443 - to reach out to senior citizens.
Of the 149 registered senior citizens in the jurisdiction of CDA Phase-II police station, the police have already received messages from 10 residents and are expecting the number to cross 50 in the next few days. They are in the process of adding the numbers to form a WhatsApp group.
The group will be used to spread advisories and information on crime trends as well as collect information on local criminal activities and share photographs of habitual offenders, said senior police officials. The number would also help the police take care of any grievances from the citizens at the earliest possible.
"Our sub-inspector Harishankar Bhoi has come up with the unique idea to reach out to senior citizens in the CDA Phase-II area in a more convenient manner. This is the first time that a dedicated WhatsApp number and group for senior citizens have been created in the city," said inspector in charge of CDA Phase-II police station Dilip Swain. The nodal officer of the senior citizens' cell of the police station is managing the number. "The WhatsApp number and the group are certainly a welcome step as we can share our grievances and ideas with the cops," said S.K. Rout, 63.
Rout said the group would be helpful for the old people to get in touch with their peers.
"We want this to be replicated by other police stations in the city, so that more people can get in touch with the police whenever required," said Senior Citizens' Association general secretary Bishu Mohandas Samant. At present, there are nearly 1,400 elderly people registered with the special cell functioning at 15 police stations across the city.
"We are actively considering the proposals of coming with a dedicated WhatsApp number for better co-ordination with the public as well as the senior citizens under Cuttack Urban Police District," said deputy commissioner of police Sanjeev Arora.
A senior police official said that as the initiative had been launched on an experimental basis, they could also use the permanent number of the local inspector-in-charge and the nodal officers of the senior citizen cells at respective police stations once the number of smart phone users crossed 100. Depending on the initiative's success, the system will be introduced in other police stations.
