Bihar police's week-long image-building exercise by developing cordial relations with the public got off to a colourful start on Monday with more than 10,000 people, including policemen, participating in a run.

Inspector general of police (Tirhut zone) Sunit Kumar flagged off the `Run for a Crime Free Society' at Khudiram Bose Stadium.

Deputy inspector general of police (Tirhut range) Gupteshwar Pandey, district magistrate Vinay Kumar and superintendent of police Ratn Sanjay ran shoulder-to-shoulder with the people to `end distance between the police and the public'. As part of the exercise the police is observing `Public Police Week' from Monday and similar runs were organised in every police station of the district.

Addressing a gathering, Kumar stressed the need to develop a cordial relationship between the men in khaki and the public. DIG Gupteshwar Pandey asked policemen to take a vow to treat  any person visiting the police station with kindness. The SP asked his subordinates to be courteous and not to forget to offer a glass of water to complainants/visitors to the police station to develop an instant rapport. His advise came into execution immediately.

Manoj Kumar, a member of Muzaffarpur Rotary Club, said when he visited the town police station a policeman offered him a glass of water before asking about his complaint. Santosh Kumar, an elderly citizen, said the friendship between the police and the public would ease peoples' fear of the police.

"People treat a police station as a bad place. The current exercise will have a positive impact in changing the image of a policeman," Randhir Sinha, a lecturer in a local college, said.

The DIG asked children not to hesitate in contacting him or `IG uncle' for any problem. The Muzaffarpur SP also asked his subordinates to work more efficiently and clear off applications for arms licenses, character certificates and police verification for passport purposes in not more than 48 hours.