THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As incidents of ragging and drug abuse on college campuses dominate headlines, the Kerala Police have decided to go beyond monitoring and enforcement.
The police are planning to extend their highly-appreciated Student Police Cadets (SPCs) initiative to colleges to sensitise youngsters and rid the campuses of the evils. The department has prepared a proposal and will send it to the state government for approval. If green-lit, the scheme will be implemented from the 2026 academic year. The SPC scheme was launched in Kerala schools in 2010 with the aim of moulding a new generation of law-abiding, service-minded students who are also equipped to take on social evils. As of now, only high school students can join it.
Highly-placed police sources said a more structured and advanced training syllabus will be prepared for interested college students. The main focus of the college-level SPC would be to create legal awareness among cadets and combat evils like drug addiction and ragging.
The sources said the implementing the scheme in colleges will help the police engage more efficiently with college students.
“After SPC’s launch in schools, there has been a decline in student-centric crimes. The scheme created an atmosphere of positivity and this was appreciated by the teaching community and school authorities. We are sure that if introduced in colleges, the scheme will have a profound effect on the students,” said a source.
Upon getting the government’s nod, the department will form a committee to frame the syllabus for the college-level SPC scheme. A senior police official said it will be an advanced syllabus.
“For school students, we have a basic syllabus. The one for college students needs to be more sophisticated and engaging. It should have more scope for physical activities and practical training projects, which will equip cadets with the know-how to handle real-life scenarios better,” said an officer.