Bhubaneswar: With crimes against children and offences committed by juveniles on the rise in Odisha, the state police have urged investigators to adopt child-friendly approaches while handling such sensitive cases.Focussing on child protection and rights, the crime against women and children wing (CAW & CW) launched a two-day training programme for Odisha police personnel on Monday.Vinaytosh Mishra, director general (crime branch) said every officer should treat cases related to children with empathy and demonstrate child-friendly conduct. Children should not fear the police, he said.According to NCRB data, crimes against children rose from 8,240 in 2022 to 8,577 in 2023, and further to 9,528 in 2024. Offences committed by juveniles also increased from 1,163 in 2022 to 1,507 in 2023, and 1,611 in 2024. Odisha, however, has achieved 100% case disposal for children in conflict with law, compared to a conviction rate of barely 20% for adults, according to the state police.ADG (CAW & CW) S Shyni said the training programme — being held in collaboration with Centre for Child Rights of the National Law University Odisha — is imperative to strengthen child-friendly practices within the police force and deepen institutional understanding of child rights, child protection laws, mental health interventions and the impact of adverse childhood experiences. It also covers protocols for responding to children in vulnerable situations, including victims of crime, and those in need of care and protection.Shyni said they are sensitising the frontline and supervisory police cadres to treat every child in the investigation process with utmost care and sensitivity.Experts stressed that child protection should not be reduced to a law-and-order issue, but approached through a rights-based lens that considers children’s life chances.Former member of Bangalore urban juvenile justice board, Prof Kalpana Purushothaman, urged police personnel to recognise signs of distress among children and provide appropriate care. “Police officers should focus on children’s life stories rather than their crime stories. Trauma-informed and rights-based policing, with stronger listening skills, must replace interrogation-only approaches,” she said.
