Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Police has urged all the educational institutions to install close circuit television cameras (CCTVs) on their premises in a bid to strengthen the security infrastructure.
“We would urge all the schools to install CCTV cameras wherever they can for the protection of children. It is good for the system and also at the time of any incident wherein the evidence helps the police to identify a criminal,” said Director General of Police (DGP) Pranab Nanda, while speaking to reporters after launching a mobile application for women and children on Thursday.
The Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights had earlier issued a set of guidelines in 2017 to the Directorate Education to ensure strict compliance on the installations of CCTVs by the schools.
The guidelines had recommended mandatory installation of CCTV cameras on the school campus, main approach roads, entry & exit and its periphery. The education department had recently stated that majority of the aided and secondary schools have complied with the instructions. Further, the department will also be reviewing the security measures put in place to ensure that the schools properly maintain it.
Mobile app launched for women and children
A mobile app, the brainchild of NGO Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN-Goa) will also help the police and the prosecution in the court. The department is contemplating creating awareness about the app across all the schools. This is a first consolidated mobile application developed for the State that contains information related to different authorities, laws, landmark judgments, helpline numbers, and safety tips for women and children. Interestingly, ‘whistle’ and ‘torch’ are some of the features available on this app.
DGP Nanda, during his address stated that innumerable women and children across the country are exploited daily. “Innumerable women and children are exploited in the country daily. There’s also trafficking… Similarly majority of them are neglected and many victimized… the major form of exploitation includes domestic violence of women, sexual exploitation of women and children, pornography and indecency. Child labour is also a major problem in the country and we have also been castigated internationally. I would urge all to come forward and help remove these from our system,” he stated.
