Bhubnaeswar: Police on Saturday launched the "Know Your Police" programme here in a bid to remove the negative image of police from the mind of young students.

In the first phase, students of SAI International School and Unit-I Boys' and Girls' High Schools visited Nandankanan and Capital police stations to get a first-hand idea on the role and responsibility of cops.

The police said the students were given demonstrations of the functioning of walkie-talkies, computerised uploading of FIRs. The students also visited the cells for prisoners and asked asked questions related to the role of police, methods of investigation and their responsibility.

Police commissioner Satyajit Mohanty, who interacted with students at both police stations, said the programme was intended to allay the fear of police from the minds of schoolchildren. "I asked them whether they had interacted with any police personnel before or had come across men in khaki. But most of them never had such an experience. Schoolchildren have a negative perception about the police through films and television. Our aim is to remove that fear from their minds," said Mohanty.

He said the programme would be extended to Cuttack as well. The police will start the Student Police Cadet scheme at one school each in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.