Published On : Sat, Apr 25th, 2015

Crime cauldron: City crime scenario

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Fadanvis
Nagpur.

The much needed transfer of K K Pathak, the Commissioner of Police, and other measures initiated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to improve law and order situation and curb rising crimes being reported in Nagpur City, have been hailed by Lalsingh Thakur, Regional Secretary of All India Human Rights Monitoring Committee. Thakur, who had shot two letters to Fadnavis expressing his concern over deteriorating law and order situation in city and district as well, termed the initiatives a bit delayed as in three brothers were done to death and incidents of robberies, rapes and other grave crimes were reported in between. Thakur, in his third letter to the Chief Minister, has said that the measures taken by him to bring down the crime graph deserve appreciation. But at the same time, Thakur has ripped apart the present system and come out with facts that could be the main cause of spurt in crimes. After a study in great details, he has drawn the attention of Fadnavis towards the reasons that could be attributed to spurt in crimes. Some of the disturbing facts are:

  1. Age-old police system: City’s police machinery is till to date is working on the basis of decades of system. The system has been found totally unprepared to face today’s challenges. Need was to revitalize and transform the police training but has not happened. As a result, the cyber crime is touching a new peak despite setting up of a full-fledged Cyber Cell in Nagpur Police.
  2. Lack of high-level skilled training:  The policemen are found wanting in dealing with a spectre of crimes as Detection Branch and Crime Branch are being deprived of skilled and efficient men. The Crime Branch should have a long reach in every police station. The Forensic Training is most neglected aspect. The Forensic evidence is conveniently neglected or little used by investigating policemen including constables, ASIs, PSIs and even Police Inspectors.
  3. Lack of surveillance and monitoring machinery: The criminals have gained upper hand in the age-old techniques of Detection Branch. One or the other DB squad member has links with criminal gangs, gambling dens and liquor joints. The anti-social elements use these men for their nefarious designs instead of police using the criminals to smash organized crimes and other hardcore offenders. Police are found totally in dark about activities of criminals, their plans to strike in a big way and the modus operandi adopted by them.
  4. Slipshod working style: The work of ACP rank officials has got limited to paper work only. The ACP rank officials have been inundated with paper work only. The effect is the Police Inspector rules the roost in Police Station and the lower rank writer decides which criminal gets more benefits of this shabby working style.
  5. No social policing: Police have severed the relations with society to a great limit. On the other hand, the citizens see police as bad omen. The citizens think twice before approaching police for sharing any information for fear of harassment of themselves. Many crimes go uninformed unless the citizens themselves become victims. Neither the peace committees are being formed nor the Special Executive Magistrates are being given more powers.
  6. Hesitation in registering FIRs: There seems to standing orders issued by top cops that FIRs in petty or common matters need not be registered. Many times the disputes between husband-wife, threatening calls on mobile or social media, obscene messaging, and other such crimes go unregistered. The police idea behind such practice is that registering FIRs would show spurt in crimes. Police shirk their responsibility but the truth is that crime takes place notwithstanding the filing of FIRs.
  7. Inefficient, corrupt Traffic police: The policemen, whose sole responsibility is to curb crimes, are found only busy in issuing challans at corners of the streets or pocketing bounties by letting the offenders go scot-free. Criminals easily smuggle illegal weapons, drugs, and other nasty items without fear but favour. The traffic cops are found encouraging triple seat on motorcycles. The triple seat ride is generally resorted by criminals and criminal-minded young boys who indulge in waylaying, chain-snatching, eve-teasing, and other crimes. Cops turn blind eye or take bribes from them for favours. The scenario is being witnessed at almost every square of the city.
  8. No preventive actions: Cops have stopped taking preventive actions against hardcore criminals or anti-social elements. Even criminals are released before festivals by just issuing warnings forget actions under Section 151. Police have two main objectives: Service and safety. But are found far away from the two aims.
  9. Drug business: The city youths, or for that matter, many adults are in grip of drug addiction. The drug business is booming in city. The liquor sell in city is second highest after Mumbai. But liquor influence is paling against drug addiction. The remedy is liquor-drug cocktail. The biggest customers of this drug-booze cocktail are high-class or neo-rich people. The elite people are supplied of their influencing stuff at pubs, bars, restaurants by organized gangs. Many posh areas are turning hubs for cocaine, heroin, smack, ganja. Hundreds of students are also found enjoying the cocktail at parties in the name of studying outside their homes.
  10. Illegal world of realty market: Today, the largest crime hub is being witnessed in the realty market. Most of the builders and developers are in race to grab prime lands and houses with the help of criminal gangs or for that matter some politicians. With the boom in the business came the boom in crimes of various kinds.

    With these points, Lalsingh Thakur has urged the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to go a step further and smash the spines of criminals by smashing nexus between police-criminals-businessmen-politicians and make the city as well as State crime-free.With these points, Lalsingh Thakur has urged the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to go a step further and smash the spines of criminals by smashing nexus between police-criminals-businessmen-politicians and make the city as well as State crime-free.