Speed dialling ‘2’ save elders

The move introduced as a pilot scheme in the Neelankarai range recently has received positive response so far, say police.

Police have accounted for around 81 senior citizens staying in the Neelankarai range, met them personally and stored the police station’s no. (9498100174) in their phones.

“From availing an ambulance in case of an emergency to helping them out with their domestic needs such as buying groceries, our personnel will attend to them all,” an official with the Neelankarai police said.

Surani, 60 who lives at Kottivakkam feels that it is a welcome move and recalls the friendly approach from officials.

“In a meeting held last Sunday with our residents’ welfare association, a police officer who addressed the crowd told us to seek help from police just as we would approach a friend without inhibitions,” he said.

“We will wait for a week or two to ascertain the response before introducing it in other areas,” additional commissioner (south) Abash Kumar said.

Police personnel also have records of senior citizens in each area. Top officials feel that these measures are necessary image boosters, especially after criticism from the media over the spate of murders of home-alone senior citizens in the past three months alone. June and August alone had six cases among them.

Police commissioner S. George however pointed out that at least 70 % of cases of senior citizens’ murders in the past year was by close acquaintances/ relatives.

City police have taken it upon themselves and kickstarted a senior citizen enumeration drive. The initial census accounted for 8965 senior citizens in the city and a series of meetings were held by senior officers with senior citizens in all twelve police districts to create safety awareness among them.