A juvenile police unit now

MYSORE: Eight years after Juvenile Justice Act (2000) was enforced, Mysore got the special juvenile police unit (SJPU), jointly set up by the police department and ECHO, an NGO, on Wednesday. The special police station will exclusively handle cases related to children in conflict with law.
DCP (Law and Order) V S D'Souza, who inaugurated the unit, said police have to play a greater role in bringing the children in conflict with law into mainstream.He appealed with the officers not to treat cases involving children lightly. Many children who have run away from home owing to problems and those kidnapped are into crime. D'Souza asked the officers not to abandoned such children rather show endeavour to bring them back into the mainstream.
On the other hand, the crime rate may reduce if children who are in conflict with law are rehabilitated, D'Souza stated. District women and child development deputy director N R Vijaya, SP Ramasubba and DCP (traffic and crime) S D Jawaharlal spoke.
Officers from all the city police stations attended the day-long sensitization programme on handing juvenile cases, organized jointly by the department and Bangalore-based NGO ECHO __ a centre for juvenile justice. SJPU office is set up in Devaraja ACP office building on Ashoka Road. Mysore district will come under it's jurisdiction. Plans are also afoot to open a child helpline.
NGO executive director Anthony Sebastian, child welfare committee head R Nagaraju and ACPs V A Purjar and Chandraiah were present.