Policing is one of the most demanding jobs in the country, as police personnel are expected to work long and irregular hours, deal with difficult and sometimes dangerous situations, and face constant scrutiny from the public.
Amongst all of this, one thing that gets particularly hampered is their personal lives. Because of the long work hours, these police personnel hardly get time to sit down and talk with their children. They are unable to provide their kids with proper guidance when the young ones are choosing their career paths, which may lead to unhappy jobs or unemployment later.
Observing this, Bhopal Police decided to organize career counselling workshops, specifically for the children of police personnel on all levels, to guide and help them in their choice of career.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, IPS officer Vineet Kapoor, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bhopal, shared details about the initiative.
DISHA – A CAREER COUNSELING WORKSHOP
‘Disha’ can be considered as a police welfare scheme that was born out of the Commissionerate Welfare Meeting where police personnel from all ranks gather together and the seniors listen to the problems of their juniors in a bid to solve them. During one such meeting, the senior officers came to know that many were facing severe problems when it came to helping and guiding their children to choose the right career path.
“They shared that because of their irregular schedules and lack of knowledge related to the career paths available today, they are unable to guide their children to opt for the right career suitable for them. As a result, it becomes challenging for the children to choose the right career option. A lot of children from the police fraternity are unemployed due to the same reason. This really touched us and we decided to do something about it,” shared Mr. Kapoor.
CHILDREN ASSEMBLY
Observing the issues faced by the police force on a personal level, the officer and his team organised a workshop called ‘Disha’ to assist children of police families in choosing a good career, organising and shaping their future, improving their personality, and determining the future direction by gathering information for building their career.
To fulfil this purpose, a children’s assembly was organized under the guidance of Police Commissioner Makrand Deoskar and DCP Kapoor. This children’s assembly was organized in the auditorium of the police line and was in the form of a workshop.
“We invited the parents and children from class 8 to class 12 in a forum where young IPS officers who have recently cleared the UPSC examination and joined the service, university toppers, managers from private industries, doctors, and bank managers came forward to talk to the children about different career options and choices, and education loans, available to them. There was also an open house discussion in the workshop,” Mr. Kapoor told Indian Masterminds.
DISCUSSIONS WITH EXPERTS
After the meeting between the children, parents, and the panel experts, facilitated by the senior police officers is conducted, the children get a chance to conduct individual workshops with the panellists. The police officers invite an expert of a particular field and all the children interested in that specific field can come and join the workshop to learn and understand more about the career path.
In this way, Bhopal Police is doing a commendable job in educating not only the police personnel but also their children regarding appropriate career options and choices in life.
