Jagatsinghpur: A group of schoolchildren in the district had an exciting time interacting with the state's top cops as part of a "Police Uncle" programme on Saturday.

Children were involved in the programme to enlighten them of the policing system and stave off the fear psychosis attached to the khaki-clad policemen, said Jagatsinghpur police superintendent Jai Narayan Pankaj.

A bronze sculpture of a havildar assisting two kids was unveiled by DGP Rajendra Prasad Sharma on the occasion.

The sculpture was not installed on an elevated platform but on the ground to send the home the message that cops were with the people. The sculpture was designed and built by students of Government College of Art and Craft, Khallikote, in Ganjam district and the Paradip Port Trust bore the cost of the sculpture.

Apart from the DGP, inspector-general of police Soumendra Priyadashi, collector Yamini Sarangi and Paradip Port Trust chairman Rinkesh Roy spoke to the children.

The speakers dwelt on the pivotal role played by the police forces in ensuring the safety of people's life and property.

"Most of the children were found to have harboured fear about policemen as the cops are often projected and portrayed negatively in various quarters. The misdeeds of cops often grab media headlines while the good work rarely gets coverage. Consequently, the children were overawed by the occasion in the presence of senior policemen. However, hearing the policemen speak changed their viewpoints of the men in uniform," Sharma said.

"We always hold the police in awe. Since I was a kid, the image of policemen that we have in our mind is that of a rough and tough person. But interacting with them today has made me believe that they are good souls. They are only forced to act tough because of their profession. I would love be a police officer to serve the society," said Sarojini Patnaik, who was part of the programme.