Harassed parents of rambunctious children may see the wisdom in the Bengaluru City Police’s new appeal to them to stop giving them a bad name.Any harassed parent is sure to have scared a stubborn child with the police or equivalent in a bid to get them to listen to them. The city police have however, put up posters around schools, appealing to parents not to scare their children by painting the police black. The posters read:“Parents: Please stop telling your children that we will haul them off to jail if they are bad.We want them to run to us if they are scared…Not be scared of us. Thank you.”The last year has seen a number of instances of sexual abuse and assault in the state capital’s schools including one in the Marathahalli area of the city which galvanised the city into action.One of the most vulnerable sections of society, children are incapable of dealing with certain kinds of troubles and articulating them effectively to adults. Given these circumstances, such campaigns may help deal with any fear or hesitation that children may feel towards the police.They are rightly addressed to parents who may unwittingly be contributing to a negative impression about the police among children.While this is a positive step, senior police officials must themselves be more sensitive towards children’s needs and troubles. They ensure that both children who are in need of care and protection as well as those who are in conflict with the law are treated in the spirit and letter of the Juvenile Justice Act, which has the best interests of the child at heart.