Joji Jacob, a trainer at a private institute, has been staying at a rented house at Edappally in Kochi, Keralam, for four years along with his wife and son.
Every Onam, they leave for Kottayam where the rest of their families live, leaving their house locked for a few days. The family finds Onam vacation the perfect time to get together with their dear ones. However, leaving their house locked for several days is a cause a worry for them.
“We haven’t kept any valuables in the rented house. Still sometimes I get upset thinking about possible theft attempts during vacations. The problem with staying in a city, that too in a rented facility, is that you don’t often get to interact much with your neighbours. Even if we are familiar with some of them, they may also be going on vacations during seasons like Onam,” Mr. Jacob said.
In Thripunithura, Usha Narayanan, a retired teacher, echoed Mr. Jacob’s concerns. She has booked tickets to travel to Thiruvananthapuram, her home town, along with her family during the Onam week. It has been her routine for years. “We have been living here for over 30 years, initially on rent and then in our own home. The neighbours here know each other very well. They all know about our travel plans and will keep an eye on our home too,” she said.
Both Mr. Jacob and Ms. Narayanan, however, had not done what the police expect them to do—use the Locked House Information option on the Kerala Police POL-APP.
For two weeks
The police said they had been encouraging people to make use of their digital initiative to request surveillance support. People need to submit a request on the app at least 48 hours before their departure. The police will provide surveillance for their houses free of cost for two weeks.
Details such as date of journey and return, location of the house, house name, and the names of neighbours and their contact numbers should be furnished in the application.
“The requests on the app will go to the Station House Officers concerned who will in turn arrange surveillance in the area. Of late, people have started using the option, though many are still unaware of the service,” a senior officer of the Kochi City police said.
Mr. Jacob and Ms. Narayanan said they were unaware of the option and would try it this time.
Additional patrolling
The officer, meanwhile, said additional patrolling would be ensured in residential areas during the holidays, and usual suspects monitored.
Siby Tom, Assistant Commissioner (Ernakulam central), said the police would coordinate with the residents’ associations to ensure safety of vacant houses. “Office-bearers of the associations have been sensitised to their role in ensuring safety of locked houses. Those leaving their houses for vacations have to inform the residents’ associations concerned so that they can pass on the information to the police. Residents are also encouraged to intimate the police station concerned directly or through POL-APP,” he said.
The police have also been advising people, mostly through residents associations, to avoid posting on social media their travel plans and leaving hints of absence such as piled-up newspapers.
Valsan K., secretary, P.J. Antony Road Residents Welfare Association in Kochi, said not many were still aware of POL-APP. He said police’s interaction with residents associations had also come down for sometime. “I have sought the service on POL-APP a few times, though I’m not sure whether the police ensured patrolling. However, I find it important to alert the police as at least we can claim we had followed the instruction, if something happens,” he said.
The police said over 31,000 people had used the locked-house service through the app in the State so far.
Published – August 20, 2026 07:00 am IST
