MARGAO, SEPT 15
GOACAN will observe a Crime Prevention Awareness Fortnight from September 17 to positively harness consumer power to respond to the rise in crimes at the village, Taluka, District and State level.
GOACAN coordinator, Roland Martins has said the NGO along with the village based consumer forums will engage the officials of the Goa police in dialogue on the causes for the rising crime in the State and the measures that need to be adopted at the community level.
He said consumer forum volunteers will move proposals at the respective panchayat gram sabha meetings to discuss the rising crime situation and possible interventions at the level of the neighbourhood.
Forum volunteers will examine measures to make the beat police system effective, the tenant verification system fully operational and the Neighbourhood Crime Watch Cell a possibility.
The consumer forum volunteers will follow-up on the presentation of the Annual State of the Law & Order, Security and Crime Report by police officers to the respective village gram sabha with the relevant recommendations for community action.
Martins further said that GOACAN will pursue the setting up of two district level full fledged police stations to handle the prevention and investigation of crimes against women & children.
Besides, GOACAN will also pursue the setting up of a Crime Prevention Education Cell at the State level which will concentrate on educational institutions at school, higher secondary and college level in collaboration with the NCC, NSS, CWC and PTAs.
During the fortnight, GOACAN will promote the preparation of community level strategies to protect neighbourhoods, markets, religious places and recreation areas from crime.
The NGO will also petition the Tourism Department, Goa Tourism Development Corporation, Govt of India Tourist Office and the Travel & Tourism Association of Goa to prepare a special crime prevention plan for the coastal villages which encounter large domestic & foreign tourist arrivals due to beach tourism.
Besides, GOACAN will also petition the Police Department to put in place a separate Crime Prevention Plan for the benefit of senior citizens who have received identity cards from the Directorate of Social Welfare.
Meanwhile GOACAN invites consumers to send in their suggestions & complaints on Crime Prevention by post to GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao 403 601 or on email to [email protected].
