Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi addresses Valedictory function of the National Conference of Micro Missions of National Police Mission organised by the BPR&D

New Delhi: Nobel Peace Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi has called for sensitizing the Police on Crimes Against Children. Addressing the Valedictory function of the 1st National Conference of Micro Missions of National Police Mission (NPM) here today, Shri Satyarthi proposed the creation of Special Children Cell in the Police Forces.

Quoting NCRB data, the Nobel Laureate said the rising pendency of Crimes Against Children is a matter of concern. Shri Satyarthi said that the recent Amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act, Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013, popularly known as Nirbhaya Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012 should be effectively used to ensure a safe and secure environment for our children, who constitute about 35% of India’s population. Neither the politicians and the bureaucracy nor the judiciary, but it is the policeman who represents the face of governance and rule of law in the society, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. M. C. Borwankar, Director General, Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D), said that on the suggestion of Shri Satyarthi, the ninth Micro Mission under the NPM has been set up on Crimes Against Children. She announced that the BPR&D will soon be shifting to its new campus in Mahipalpur, Delhi. Dr. Nirmal Kumar Azad, IG, Director, NPM, said the BPR&D will soon initiate a process to rank State Police Forces through a third party audit as proposed by Shri Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), ih his inaugural address yesterday. Shri Parvez Hayat, ADG, BPR&D also graced the occasion.

The two-day Conference was organised by the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D), under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The Conference aimed to review, share learnings and trace the journey of NPM ever since its inception in 2008. It witnessed participation of representations of all eight Micro Missions.