In its efforts to curb crime against women and children, South Zone police have began a close surveillance of various categories of sexual offenders in southern districts.

The police have made a database of a whopping 10,000 sexual offenders who have come to adverse notice in the 10 southern districts in the last 15 years.

“We have classified them into eight categories based on the nature of their crime against women and children and have put in place a surveillance mechanism,” Inspector General of Police, Vijayendra Bidari, told The Hindu.

Each category of offenders have been identified with colour-coding from red to green based on the nature, severity, recurrence, modus operandi and threat perception to the society, he added.

The police have listed out dangerous sexual predators, who are mostly serial rapists or gang sexual offenders. Similarly, repeat molesters, stalkers and habitual harassers form a separate group.

The police also have a plan to monitor the cyber sexual offenders or online groomers, cyber stalkers. The police would follow the consumers of child sexual abuse/exploitation materials or creators of those contents. Their mobile numbers and internet protocol logs, social media handles would be followed.

Organised sexual offenders like those involved in human trafficking and commercial exploiters are also monitored.

Juvenile sexual offenders would be monitored and efforts would be taken to reform them through counselling given to them as well as their parents, Mr. Bidari said.

Non-contact sexual offenders like eve-teasers, voyeurs and stalkers will also be not spared.

Those involved in incest, elopement with minors without age of consent will also be under the police scanner.

The police have come up with a plan of action for different categories based on the threat each category offenders pose to the society.

Officials in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors would track each of the offenders at periodical intervals based on their threat perception.

Besides surveillance, the police have also taken efforts to capture all biometrics of the repeat offenders for easy tracking as and when any crime is reported.

The police have been instructed to closely monitor the trial of their cases in courts.

“We have planned to take preventive action like binding over,” the IG said.

In certain cases of organised crimes, the police would take up financial investigation and network mapping of the offenders.

The police would monitor the activities of those in jail. “Police will keep a tab on any such offender coming out of jail on bail or parole, so that they could not indulge again in such crimes,” he added.

The new mechanism will help the police to have focussed surveillance on such sexual offenders and curb crime against women and children, he said.