Bengaluru Police launch ‘friends of police’ initiative to involve citizens in crime prevention

The Bengaluru City Police on Monday launched Friends of Police (FoP), a new initiative aimed at increasing citizen involvement in policing activities and crime prevention.

The programme has been introduced as part of Crime Prevention Month.

According to the press note, the initiative seeks to create a structured partnership between the police and the public. Citizens are encouraged to share information, report illegal activities such as drug abuse, trafficking, and cybercrimes, and raise neighbourhood safety concerns.

As part of the rollout, police officers visited 1,250 schools and colleges, interacting with about 2.11 lakh students. Around 1,150 officers participated in the outreach.

Sessions focused on: Women’s safety Anti-narcotics awareness; Traffic safety and lane discipline; Cybercrime prevention and reporting mechanisms; Community vigilance and information sharing.

Students were briefed on helpline numbers including 112 (Emergency Response Support System), 1930 (Cyber Fraud), 1933 (National Narcotics), 1908 (Drug Abuse Reporting), 14490 (Women’s Helpline), and 1098 (Child Helpline).

The Bengaluru City Police also launched a dedicated website — bcpfop.patterneffects.in — carrying safety resources, awareness material, a pledge system, a feedback portal, and links to police-supported applications such as the KSP App, Drug Free Karnataka, and BTP AstraM.

During the sessions, students were encouraged to take the Friends of Police Pledge, either in person or through the online platform. The pledge asks participants to report illegal activities, avoid drug use, share information with police when required, and contribute to maintaining public safety.

The police have said the initiative will be extended to citizens outside educational institutions in the coming days.