KOCHI: Kate Nichols, who belongs to the Tasmanian police force, in Australia, was astounded to see so many dogs in the Coimbatore police dog squad.
“This is for just one city alone! In Tasmania, which is a large island state, we have only three dogs in our squad! But, yes, the population, in Coimbatore, is much larger,” says Kate, who was shown a demonstration by the dog squad and how they are used to track crime spots in India.
Kate was also in Kochi, as part of the vocational exchange programme of the Rotary Club, and had met top police officers.
Kate says it was her interaction with Kochi Range IG P Vijayan, however, which gave her a larger picture of programmes initiated by the Kerala police in improving the lives of students and the youth. What impressed her the most was the projects chalked out for juvenile deliquents.
“In Kerala, the police work with deliquents differently. Yes, even in Australia, there is a system which ensures that young people, who commit crimes, are not taken to jail. However, they are yet to formulate projects where, those convicted, work closely with the police. The objective should be to ensure that these youngsters come out of juvenile homes as better people and not remain hardened. I hope to raise awareness about all this with the Tasmanian police,” she said.
Scope for improvement
Kate was, however, disappointed to know that, in India, it was the examination results and proficiency in academics that enabled one to reach the top of the police hierarchy.
“In Australia, everyone needs to work from the bottom, to reach the top. We start as constables, so that when you reach the higher levels, you have a certain sense of empathy and understanding of your subordinates. It helps in the growth of a better police force,” she adds. The biggest law and order problems facing Tasmania today is the rise of drug abuse cases. “It is in such situations, that I believe that we need to work more with socio-economic groups in our area, which is a model we can follow, from Kerala,” she adds.
As a constable, she has faced several threats. “It’s mostly while dealing with young drug addicts. Some of them have guns and other weapons. We need to be careful. However, otherwise, Tasmania is very peaceful,” she adds.