Senior citizens requiring help no longer need to visit a police station for assistance. They can now lodge a complaint and receive help at their doorsteps. Thanks to a mobile application developed by the senior citizens cell of Shahdara Police that enables the elderly to seek various types of help from their homes. According to a TOI report, the app allows senior citizens to lodge security-related complaints or service requests, such as broken street lights in the neighbourhood that need repair, verification of domestic help, or help during a health emergency.

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Upon receiving a request or a complaint on the app, the police send their officers to the complainant’s house to resolve the issue. As part of its drive to provide better services and protection to senior citizens, the police also make rounds of the different neighbourhoods in the district. Another useful feature of the app is that, as per the report, it can send flash messages to the police when a senior citizen faces an emergency and needs immediate help.

The mobile app is expected to enhance the security of older people and ensure they receive all the timely help at their doorsteps without requiring them to visit a police station for every matter. The concept of neighbourhood petrol is not new. The police in all major cities and towns, including the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), conduct such surveillance. However, the police’s latest initiative in Shahdara is to strengthen its operations further by allowing senior citizens to make personalised requests for security-related issues or call for help via the app.

How The App Works

After downloading the app on their mobile phones, the users will have to download a form that collects all the details of a senior citizen, such as name, age, address, etc., and is digitally stored in police records. This form allows the police to locate the senior citizens when there is a request for help, which can be problems like neighbourhood lighting break down, personal safety, verification of domestic help, environment pollution, etc. Additionally, the police have installed CCTV cameras near the homes of senior citizens to keep a round-the-clock vigil.

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As per the report, the app went live after about a week-long trial to ensure uninterrupted communication between the police and the citizens. However, the app is still a work in progress and it may undergo important updates from time to time. For now, the beat police officer will remain the main contact point for seniors who have been asked to spread the word about the app.

The app will also allow the police to keep track of officers assigned to a particular locality, thus enhancing its efficiency. The app also provides other benefits to users. For instance, it informs senior citizens about cyber threats and provides educational content for online safety. It can also connect them to various important government departments such as fire services, ambulance, etc.