Imagine a policeman paying you a visit, interlacing his casual chat with courteous greetings and leaving his phone number with a request— “keep in touch”. For many of us, this would constitute a near-impossible ideal image of the men in khaki.

The Gujarat Police have, however, undertaken the challenge for an image makeover, as they seek to harness their communication skills with the public.

The training has already started in Gandhinagar and will soon be extended to other districts and police commissionerates in the state.

Gujarat DGP S S Khandwavala said: “The training aims to teach policemen how to approach people and win their trust. The exercise also aims to bridge the gap between the police and the public.”

Management experts from several premier institutes of the state have been roped in to train the policemen in behavioural skills, like motivation, communication, team spirit and public interaction. The two-day training is being imparted in batches of 25.

“We plan to cover all the districts and police commissionerates in about four months time,” Khandwavala added.

The training essentially includes sessions on how to approach and speak to people without scaring them. An action plan has been prepared for every policeman, who is supposed to meet at least one family staying in the area under his jurisdiction daily.

“Post training, all the policemen will meet again after a month and share their experiences,” said a trainer on condition of anonymity.

In the first phase, the authorities plan to cover all inspectors, sub-inspectors, head constables and constables posted in various police stations, beat outposts and police chowkeys in the state. Senior officers will be trained in the second phase, sources said.

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