Nearly 11,200 students from 280 schools benefiting across Punjab
Through Student Police Cadet programme, Punjab Police nurtures responsible citizens, leadership skills & stronger police-student engagement
PunjabENews (June 10): With a total of 1,965 indoor classes and 698 outdoor classes, the ‘Youth Connectivity’ initiative by Punjab Police under the ‘Student Police Cadet (SPC)’ programme is receiving a massive response from educational institutions across the state.
The programme, which aims to build responsible citizens, develop leadership qualities, create social awareness and provide a platform for an open dialogue between police and students, has received an enormous response from school-going students. The SPC programme was launched by Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister of Punjab, on August 22, 2023. Under the sterling guidance of Gaurav Yadav, Director General of Police, Punjab, nearly 11,200 schoolchildren from 280 selected schools are benefiting from the programme.
On this, DGP Punjab Police Gaurav Yadav said, “Under this programme, one indoor and two outdoor classes are conducted for the students of Classes 8 and 9 each month with the objective of building responsible citizens. In addition, the SPC students are provided opportunities to visit the offices of DCs and SSPs, police stations, Saanjh Kendras, the State Police Academy and other places of educational interest.”
As part of this project, around 450 SPC cadets visited the Punjab Police Academy to attend sessions on the SPC framework and cyber safety, interactive discussions, and visits to key facilities like the museum, library, and Phillaur Fort.
“Such educational events open a whole new world and help young minds explore their surroundings and make better life decisions. It develops a sense of confidence in the students and helps them understand and respect the policing system. Such events help young minds grow intellectually and make them aware of how the government and police function. It removes the fear of police and develops the confidence to reach out to government institutions in case of need,” added Gurpreet Kaur Deo, SDGP, Community Affairs & Women Affairs.
Recently, a one-day session at the Punjab Police Academy in Phillaur was organized for SPC students, selected school teachers and officials from Saanjh Kendras of Punjab, which included a tour of the historical Maharaja Ranjit Singh Fort and police facilities at PPA Phillaur, said Gurpreet Kaur Deo, SDGP, Community Affairs & Women Affairs.
The SPC students participated in the Republic Day Parade across 11 districts of Punjab: Amritsar, Bathinda, SAS Nagar, Barnala, Hoshiarpur, Sangrur, Malerkotla, Patiala, Fazilka, SBS Nagar, and Gurdaspur. As many as 40 SPC students from each district participated in the parade with great enthusiasm and showcased confidence, teamwork, and dedication, making it a meaningful initiative for their overall development. For this parade, a total of 440 SPC students were provided uniforms.
“Young minds often get diverted to undesirable activities under peer pressure and lack of parental guidance. In order to stop them from adopting the wrong path and motivate them towards social responsibility, school students are invited to participate in social programmes working with the underserved. Through this programme, the Punjab Police has provided them a platform to explore their true potential and have an open dialogue with the police, who serve as mentors to the young students,” said Gurpreet Kaur Deo.
As a part of the SPC initiative, the Police Department works in close coordination with the Education Department and orientation programmes are held with the stakeholders, i.e. District Education Officers, Principals, Teachers and Police officials posted in Saanjh Kendras, which are the community policing units of Punjab. The initiative is also contributing to the Punjab Government’s ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’ campaign by engaging young minds through positive interventions and promoting responsible citizenship.
