KP reopens Pronam membership for sr citizens after 18-month gap
Times of India | 16 January 2026
Kolkata: This new year, Kolkata Police has "opened enrolment" for senior citizens in Pronam, a platform for the elderly, run by the city cops, after a gap of around 18 months. Every local police station maintains a detailed database of member senior citizens and keeps a watch on their movements as well as the basic safety measures they follow. The membership drive has already started in at least two south divisions.
"Where there is no loneliness, there is assurance. Where there is no fear, there is security. Where there is no helplessness, there is support. Please contact the nearest police station for registration. Pronam Helpline: 9477955555," wrote Lalbazar on social media on Wednesday. The details of elderly people living with their families will be entered in a separate database, said an officer.
According to police data, the participation from south Kolkata is "large", and police are hoping for a significant rise in membership from the north, too.
Part of all the divisions, Pronam aims at reaching out to the aged and sending the message that they were being looked after by police. Cops have devised a list of dos and don'ts that they are asking senior citizens to follow. At all Pronam meetings, police have been requesting the elderly to call them if they need anything "without any hesitation". "They are the vulnerable lot against whom both traditional and cybercrimes are easier to commit. Hence, the special focus on them," said an officer, suggesting the elderly should not discuss financial issues in front of outsiders, keep the entrances locked and to be discreet about whom they let inside their houses. Police said the members should keep them updated about four issues— escalation of any financial dispute, any threat from anyone, especially promoters, background verification of domestic help and if they were employing service providers, such as plumbers, electricians, masons painters and drivers. They also advised to secure their home entrances with grilles, double locks, eyeholes on doors, and if possible, CCTV cameras.
A plan is also on to install at least 3,000 new CCTV cameras to keep an eye on specific neighbourhoods, which have a significant senior citizen population. Police reminded that there had been multiple cases of snatching cases and cybercrimes over the past three months, when senior citizens were either targeted or they ended up dead, their bodies being recovered later.
Following the Pronam guidelines, police have started paying visits to enlisted members' houses to find out whether the elderly persons living there are fit enough to be able to step out of their houses on their own and run their daily errands. Police will check the basic security drills that the families concerned follow and are likely to share suggestions to improve security at a few houses.