The concept of Station Vigilance Committee ( SVC) is that of involving citizens in some services that the local police undertake locally. And this concept was first introduced in the colonial times.
Each police station / police zone in the city has a SVC and Mylapore too has had one since the early 1950s. Today, you too can become a SVC member if you wish to serve alongside the police.
A member of the group can be active in many ways, locally.
First, the SVC group works with the police to regulate crowds and to secure the area when events like temple festivals are held.
Secondly, SVC members plan and participate in public campaigns that are devised by the police. Like campaigns on drugs de-addiction, safe driving, neighbourhood security, etc. These campaigns may be just small meetings or cycle/bike rallies or meeting the public and giving them handbills.
Thirdly, SVC members are called to join the police on night patrols in colonies. These patrols are held between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
In the past two years, SVC members lent their hands during the pandemic time, to ensure people followed lockdown rules and have manned road junctions to check motorists who had no business to be out.
Currently, there are some 50 members in the SVC in the Mylapore police district. But it’s convenor, K. S. Shankar who used to be in the IT field and is a skills trainer and consultant now, says they want people in the 18 to 40 years age group to join the SVC here, so that these people can be handy on night patrols.
When you apply to the SVC, a complete background check is made by the police before an identity card is issued and your profile filed at the police district office. There is no uniform or badge that is given – volunteers merely work alongside the local police as citizen volunteers.
Those who put in substantial service are also given a certificate.
If you want to volunteer with the Station Vigilance Committee of Mylapore zone, contact Shankar at 98401 56354.
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