Sikkim Police organise ‘Building Bonds’ public outreach programme at Chakung

Soreng, (IPR): “Building Bonds”, a public outreach initiative programme of Sikkim Police aimed at strengthening the relationship between the police and the public through awareness, interaction and cooperation was organised Friday at the Government Senior Secondary School, Chakung, Soreng District under the supervision of the Superintendent of Police (Soreng) Nahkul Pradhan.

The programme had the special presence of Director General of Police (DGP), Sikkim, Akshay Sachdeva, as the chief guest. The DGP was accompanied by Superintendent of Police (Soreng) Nahkul Pradhan.

DGP, Sikkim, Akshay Sachdeva, addressed the gathering and described the “Building Bonds” programme as an initiative aimed at strengthening the relationship between the police and the public. In his address, he highlighted the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the state and emphasised the importance of mutual respect, unity and peaceful coexistence among different cultural and religious communities. He remarked that while languages and greetings may differ, the spirit of goodwill and respect remains the same, encouraging the gathering to remain open towards learning from everyone, every community and everywhere.

He further highlighted the significance of language in society and drew relevance to the widespread use of English in present day communication while stressing the importance of preserving and respecting one’s own culture, traditions and identity. He also encouraged the youth to remain positive, respectful and refrain from substance abuse and other harmful practices. Appreciating the initiative of the Chief Minister regarding the use of traditional attire during official duties, he intimated that such initiatives play an important role in promoting and preserving cultural heritage.

The chief guest also emphasised upon communal harmony and appealed to all communities to extend support and cooperation towards one another during cultural and religious occasions while maintaining equal respect for every culture and tradition. He then highlighted the awareness booklet titled “Techie Panda” released by Sikkim Police for creating awareness on cyber-crimes and digital frauds.

During the programme, an interactive role play demonstration was conducted under his direction, wherein police personnel demonstrated the services and responsibilities performed by the police department. Students and teachers were also included in the role play and were familiarised with the roles and responsibilities of various police officers stationed in the district.

The demonstration conveyed the importance of maintaining cooperation between the police and public and encouraged citizens to promptly inform law enforcement agencies regarding any issues related to law and order.

The role play further highlighted the challenges faced by police personnel and the public in the discharge of their duties, approach and behaviour which portrayed both positive and negative public, police behaviour through “good cop-bad cop” and “good public-bad public” scenarios. Similarly through role play demonstrations, messages relating to traffic and road safety, narcotics, substance abuse and responsible citizenship were also conveyed with emphasis on reinforcing positive social behaviour.

The DGP further deliberated on various forms of cyber-crimes including digital frauds, sextortion, love scams and AI voice cloning, while stressing the importance of awareness, prevention and timely reporting of such offences. He appealed to the gathering to sensitise family members and society regarding such crimes in order to prevent victimisation.