The Delhi Police’s community policing scheme ‘Yuva Prahari’ is in doldrums with the department claiming to be facing acute crunch of funds in paying stipends to the volunteers enrolled under the scheme.
‘Yuva Prahari’ was launched in January 2 this year by Police Commissioner BS Bassi, who had called it a “unique active community policing scheme” involving youth trained to accompany Police Control Room (PCR) teams during patrolling in their areas.
Presently, the 126 volunteers — including 35 women — assisting PCR teams get a monthly stipend of Rs2,000, which is paid from the Delhi Police funds, said a senior police official.
However, claiming to have faced acute crisis in paying the monthly stipends, Delhi Police have recently written twice to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
“We have requested the Ministry to pay the stipends from their funds and also increase the amount to Rs5,000 per month,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Operations) Sundari Nanda. Delhi Police, which was facing a strong crisis of personnel in the PCR wing, had sought help from the Ministry of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Youth Affairs & Sports, and soon Yuva Prahari was conceptualised in partnership with the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, said a senior official.
The project started with the 126 volunteers after a due selection process and police verification.
“They were imparted week-long training on basic first-aid, self-defence and an understanding of the functioning and structure of the Emergency Response System, after which they were put on field, assisting PCR teams,” said the official.
The term of the voluntary service was not fixed — nor was the stipend — but it was expected to be anything between two months and 100 days, after which certificates were supposed to be given to the volunteers, said an official in PCR wing.
“But no new inductions took place after the first batch and the existing lot itself had been complaining about the stipend being too less, compelling the department to write to the Union Ministry,” said the official.
Under the scheme, young non-student adults, after attending specially designed orientation programme by Delhi Police, were made parts of the patrolling teams in the PCR vans operating in their areas.
They assist the police team in handling the calls. These young volunteers, mostly from poor economic background, strive to help in further improving the interface between the patrolling staff and the community, a senior official said.