Low registration with Delhi police puts senior citizens at risk

NewsLow registration with Delhi police puts senior citizens at risk

Senior citizens registered with the Delhi Police’s Senior Citizens’ Security Cell (SCSC) are far fewer in number compared to the total population of senior citizens in the capital. While rough estimates range from 11-14 lakh, only 27,651 senior citizens in Delhi are registered with SCSC. Recently, the SCSC also launched a mobile application to increase the outreach of its services, but there has been no admirable increase in the number of registrations. The 27,000 people who were earlier registered with the Delhi Police were automatically transferred to the new mobile application’s database. The reasons why a large number of people have not registered yet range from a lack of awareness to not enough efforts made by the department to popularise its services.

Citizens above 60 years of age and who are living alone or are living with their families but are alone during day hours, are the only ones eligible to register with SCSC. According to the latest data of Delhi Police, 3,804 senior citizens in all were registered in this fiscal year till September. Delhi Police attended to 472 distress calls on their helpline number and 603 written complaints. Approximately 35% of the complaints received by SCSC were made to report a missing senior citizen. Explaining the matter, a senior police officer in SCSC said, “What happens is that an elderly might leave home to take a walk or go to a nearby market, but they end up forgetting their way back home. Later, either somebody known helps them find their way or reports to the police. In approximately 10% of these cases, the elders are found lying unconscious somewhere.”  Around 10-12% distress calls to SCSC are to report accidents like in a park or on the roadside or at home.

A recurring complaint reported by senior citizens themselves is property-related domestic disputes. A police source explained, “Since the new builder-concept became popular, people prefer to give away their property to a builder who constructs multistory apartments and sells them off while the owner of the property gets a whole newly-constructed floor to himself. Older people — the parents — do not want to go along with the builder-concept, whereas the younger generation finds it a profitable deal. Misbehaviour with old parents by their children or other domestic quarrel also gets reported.”

J.R. Gupta, president, Senior Citizens Council of Delhi and chairperson, Confederation of Senior Citizens Associations of Delhi, said, “It is a reality that lonely senior citizens need protection from abuses and humiliation that they have to suffer at the hands of their own children or others. Children are forcing their parents to go out of the property, as they were made owners in early years by transferring such properties in their names by love and affection. Since the cost of properties nowdays is too high, such incidents are increasing and we have no tough laws. We have proposed some amendments in the Maintenance of Welfare of Parents and Senior Citisens Act 2007 for safeguarding their interest.”

The data shows that the police headquarters team of SCSC of Delhi Police visited 4,040 houses and made 15,565 telephonic calls to keep a check on the safety and security of the registered elders. On the other hand, the local police made 3,43,700 visits and 2,19,516 telephonic calls.

Gupta said, “We keep reminding Delhi Police to take suitable remedial measures to protect the life and property of elderly. Senior citizen representatives should be allowed to participate at State Level Advisory Body Meetings of Delhi Police, District level and SHO level regularly. Incidents targeting senior citizens are increasing day by day. The main problem is shortage of Beat Constables who are supposed to play a vital role for their security even at odd hours.”

A police official said, “It is not that we do not keep an eye out for other senior citizens who are not registered on our portal, but for those who are registered, it is mandatory for us to visit them on regular intervals. Also, it is humanly impossible to keep a track on each and every one. Therefore, neighbours and other people around play an important role in preventing crimes.” The police official explained, “By and large, senior citizens in the capital are not too vulnerable. If there are 500 murders in all in the capital, only 20-25 of them are cases of violence against senior citizens. Regular visits by the police to registered homes reduce the chance of negative elements targeting such homes. Most crimes committed against senior citizens are done by people known to them.”

Gupta suggested, “We should revive the old policy of Delhi Police to involve students of Classes X, XI & XII to visit lonely senior citizens twice a week.”

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