New Delhi : Skill India seems to be the new mantra for Delhi Police. A sweet start awaits a batch of 60 teenagers “in conflict with law” who will be trained in baking, apart from other skill development courses so that they can find jobs and make a living.
Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik is keen on bringing juvenile delinquents into the mainstream so that they don’t take to crime again. On Friday, joint commissioner (northern range) Sanjay Singh kicked-off the programme at Sewa Kutir, the observation home for boys located at Kingsway Camp, Mukherjee Nagar.
“The training programme of six weeks will make these teens employable so that they can integrate in mainstream society. Apart from baking, the teenagers will learn mobile repairing and other job-oriented courses. After completion, they will be given certificates under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana,” Singh said.
To break the ice, the police played a friendly cricket match with these children. The initiative has jointly been started by Delhi Police and Juvenile Justice Board under the aegis of ministry of skill development and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
Last year, a similar programme was organized in which around 60 teenagers were trained to become hairstylists and chefs and employed in restaurants and saloons. Some of them even started their own eateries and salons.
Delhi Police has been focusing on reducing recidivism (tendency of a criminal to return to crime) over the last few years. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows that cases involving juvenile offenders went up by 16% in 2015. In the 2,332 cases reported, 3,570 offenders were apprehended. In 2014, 2,876 juveniles were apprehended in 1,946 cases.
Of the apprehended juveniles, 2,796 were found to be first-time offenders while 243 were repeat offenders. In 2015, juveniles committed 338 cases of sexual assault, including rape, molestation and voyeurism, besides 457 cases of robbery or snatching and 669 cases of theft.
Among those caught, 80% were in the age-group of 16-18 years, 756 were illiterate, 1,268 had dropped out of school at the primary level and 912 were secondary school dropouts. There were 2,556 juveniles living with their parents, while 96 were homeless.
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