Karnataka govt launches ‘Mane Manege Police’

Bengaluru: The state government on Friday launched the “Mane Manege Police” (Door-to-Door Police) programme in M C Layout, Vijayanagara, aiming to promote a people-friendly police system.

The event was inaugurated by Home Minister G Parameshwara, DG & IGP M A Salim, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh, Priya Krishna (MLA, Govindarajanagara constituency), and BBMP Commissioner Maheshwar Rao.

The initiative involves police personnel visiting homes to interact with citizens, address their concerns, and build trust. Short public awareness videos were screened at the event, highlighting crimes and the immediate police response available to the public, including the Safe Connect app (which offers a two-way audio-video communication channel for emergency situations) and 50 safety island facilities for SOS situations across the city.

During the event, a handbook, register, and sticker were released by the dignitaries. The register will be used to collect data from individuals during the door-to-door programme, which will later be digitised and transferred to tablets for easy police monitoring.

The Home Minister emphasised that this programme is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, aiming to promote public-friendly police services. He stressed the importance of police personnel engaging with citizens, listening to their problems, and building a good relationship with the public.

Senior police officials from across the state joined online, sharing their experiences and success stories from the programme. They reported receiving a positive response from the public, particularly from the elderly and women.

The minister himself visited four nearby homes, listened to public complaints and grievances, and assured citizens that action would be taken by the respective police personnel. He said that the people whose houses he visited felt that this programme is very helpful to the common folk. “We used to view the police with a certain fear, but now that they visit our homes, it’s a very friendly gesture and makes the police more accessible,” said a resident.