Delhi Police’s community policing schemes – Neighbourhood Watch Scheme and Prahari – are gaining support from resident welfare associations (RWAs) and managements of the societies in Dwarka.
More and more societies are adopting such social initiatives to strengthen policing at the grassroots level. These schemes promote participation of community people and security guards of the societies in order to check on the crime rate in the area.
Sanskriti Apartments in Sector 19B adopted the Neighbourhood Watch scheme last week. DCP of Dwarka, Anto Alphonse, inaugurated the scheme and also interacted with the RWAs. The society is considered as having one of the best security systems in place in the sub city – it made it to the top three (out of 300 societies) of most secured societies in Dwarka in a competition organised by the Delhi Police in February.
Speaking on the occasion, Alphonse said that community policing was the need of hour. “Dwarka shows a very high enthusiasm for community policing initiatives, which is inspirational to the rest of the city. Right now, we are focused on first 25 societies which have adopted Neighbourhood Watch Scheme and then we would move on to others.”
RWA of Sanskriti Apartments has also installed automatic boom barrier at the entrance and also given identity cards to maids, gardeners, sweepers and other helping staff. RWA president Rajeev Singh Rathore told City Spidey, “Both the policing schemes are helping us tremendously in resolving many issues.”
Under the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, police personnel help RWA members understand how they can improve security on the premises and also train them to face any odd situation. The scheme advocates better lighting of common areas, installation of CCTV cameras and regular counselling sessions for residents to be organized by police.
In Prahari Scheme, private security guards of the societies carry out joint patrolling of surrounding areas along with local police. This is done in shifts following a proper schedule maintained at nearby police station.
As of now, the societies in Dwarka that have adopted the scheme include Sri Ram Apartments in Sector 4; Sarv Sanjhi Apartments, Azad Hind Apartments and Sukh Sagar Apartments from Sector 9; Shakuntalam Apartments from Sector 10; Sanskriti Apartments from Sector 19; Chitrakoot Apartments and Dream Apartments from Sector 22; New Kanchenjunga Apartments and Harmony Apartments from Sector 23; and Pink Apartments from Pocket-6, Nasirpur.
