MONTHLY FEATURE - POLICE AND SECURITY - JULY, 1994

Dr.S.Subramanian, IPS (Retd.)

Crime in India is on the increase. Fear of crime and violence has affected the quality of life of the in cities and country side. Hardly a day passes, without the print media giving gory details of crime against person and property. We have become insensitive to violence and crime against fellow citizens. An atmosphere of helplessness prevails. People get shaken when they read about elderly people being robbed and murdered in urban apartments in broad day light without the neighbours being aware of it; women being subjected to molestation and sexual harassment in public places without any good Samaritan intervening to stop the shameful behaviour of hooligans; Schools, who charge the moon as donations and monthly fees, are mute spectators to the children of the rich being kidnapped for ransom from the very door steps of the school; and in addition to the customary hafta and pay offs to enforcement agencies, businessmen are now forced to pay money to protection rackets, blackmailers and vandals. Foreign travellers of Yore had described India as a land of bliss and crime free have, where an old woman could venture out alone with a golden pitcher at night. Alas, today, she would not only be relieved of her wordly possessions, irrespective of the time of the day, in all probability her person may also be violated.

It is not that we have become a country of criminals overnight. This is the cumulative result of : Politician-criminals nexus in vogue since independence; the collapse of criminal judicial system; erosion of authority and inability of police to devote time to crime work; and lastly and most importantly, the apathy of the citizens to crime situation and their failure to take minimum safeguards to protect their own interests. Crime prevention is not the problem of police alone but that of the entire society.

Ever since independence, winning the elections by any means had become important, politicians of all hues have used criminals to subvert the poll process and to gain power. For them, crime has paid rich dividends. Musclemen and lumpen elements were paraded in open as friends of politicians and they gained respectability (!). Politicians were the patrons and usherers of organised crime in India. As a quid-pro-quo, politicians shielded the criminals from Law, using their political clout. Labels like ‘Committed’ judiciary, ‘dedicated’ bureaucracy, ‘cooperative’ top police echelons enabled the politicians and criminals to thrive. Those who failed to cooperate, were brought to heel through transfers and punishments. Till this nexus between the politician and the criminal is broken, no meaningful effort can be made to control crime. In the first place, the control of police should be vested in a neutral authority as recommended by the National Police Commission. Secondly, the Representation of Peoples Act should be suitably amended to prevent a person with a criminal conviction, for offences involving moral turpitude, by becoming an M.L.A. or M.P.; no one with a criminal case pending in a Court of Law should be allowed to file his nomination or second a nomination; if already elected, when a charge sheet is filed in a Court of Law, the Speaker should prohibit the MLA or MP from participating in the Legislative process and enjoying the perks due to a people’s representative. The special privileges now given to Ms.L.A. and Ms.P. against police taking action should be withdrawn.

To protect the police and bureaucracy from vindictive action by politicians against them for performing their legitimate duties, the Administrative Tribunals should be clothed with powers to act as watchdogs and any aggrieved Government servant should be able to move them to seek redressal.

Enormous delays, slow and unsatisfactory disposals, legal pyrotechnics - by both the bar and the bench to ensure that police cases fail, have not only brought disrepute to the criminal judicial system and the people have lost faith in them. Slogans like ‘Bail is a right and Jail is an exception’ and unjustified severity in castigating law enforcement authorities have, while demoralising the enforcement agencies, emboldened the criminals. It is not our case that courts should allow illegalities by the law enforcement officials. We plead that judicial activism should be pro-people and positive in content to usher in a crime free society. Many recommendations of the Law Commission and the National Police Commission aimed at reforming Criminals Judicial System are gathering dust. Public opinion should be mobilised to implement them. The backlog of cases in Criminals Courts is mind boggling. It should be possible for a Committee of Supreme Court Judges (retired or serving) to examine these and prescribe some parameters which would enable the court to close many of these long standing cases.

In the past two decades, police, with their preoccupation with order maintenance duties have neglected the crime prevention and crime control functions. The slide started with the ‘Emergency’ and is still continuing. In the guise of order maintenance, Police are openly performing ‘establishment protection’ functions to please the politicians. Crime relating to the citizens hardly gets any attention. For crime prevention and detection, there should be a well organised criminal intelligence system; Surveillance over known criminals; documentation; building up of modus operandi records; and skills and equipment to apply scientific aids. In the absence of these, when a crime is reported, police tend to use ‘Third Degree’ to get the results and violate the Human Rights of citizens. To enable the police to devote more attention to crime work, from police station level upwards, police should be organised in two distinct wings for order maintenance and crime work. The crime wing should have more Sub-Inspectors and senior ranks to take up quick investigation. They should be given intensive training in modern methods of crime detection and provided with appropriate equipment. They should be held accountable to prevent and detect crimes in their area. Since it will be their sole functions, they can not take shelter under the excuse that they were busy elsewhere.

Vigilance is the price of liberty. By the same token, only a vigilant and proactive citizenry can save the society from crime. While schemes like Community Policing, neighbourhood watch etc. can be worked successfully with the cooperation of an enlightened citizenry and benign police administration, the common man can take the following inexpensive simple steps to bring the crime under control. They are :

Prepare an inventory of all valuables at home, with identification particulars and supporting documentation of ownership and keep them carefully in a safe place. In the case of theft or loss, these details will enable the police to expedite investigation and locate the property. Wherever possible, etch the ownership on the valuable itself. Valuables not in use are to be kept in Bank lockers. It is useful to take an insurance policy to compensate in case of theft or loss. Never display valuables and large amounts of cash to the domestic servants. It is better not to tempt them. Careful inspection of the premises be done from the point of view of preventing unauthorised entry. Grills and other protective devices should be fixed wherever necessary. Flimsy locks and bolts should be replaced with sturdy ones. In India, burglar alarms are now available at affordable cost and these could be installed. The keys of almirahs, safes etc. should never be kept either on the bed room table or under the pillow. If a fire-arm is available in the house, keep it loaded and within easy reach at night. It is good to rear a guard dog. In consultation and cooperation with the neighbours, work out a Mutual Distress signal system. This could be as simple as a call bell. it may be remembered that the first thing a criminal would do is to disconnect the telephone. When anything unusual is heard or noticed in the vicinity, alert all. Always keep a weapon of defence at night - a short lathi would do - within the easy reach of every member of the family. When away on vacation, the keys are to be left with the neighbours and local police station should be informed with a request to keep a point book on the premises, so that the beat constable visits the premises regularly. For the main entrance door, fix a Magic Eye and chain arrangement. Strangers should not be allowed entry without physical verification. When elderly people or the lady will be alone in the house for long periods, give frequent telephone calls to check on their welfare. if no response, get the matter investigated immediately. Make fool-proof arrangements to pick up and drop the school going children. if both the parents are working, the child should stay with some neighbours or at the school itself till the parents return home. Children should never be allowed to stay alone in the house. In the P.T.A. meetings, insist on the school making arrangements to keep the children beyond school hours. It may cost a little extra money but the safety of children will be assured. Schools should also ensure that class teachers supervise the departure of children from school and they are handed over to authorised persons only.

Citizens should know their Rights of Private Defence. They have under the law, as much authority as Police in defending their person or property. It is good to get a few lessons in unarmed self-defence from Judo institutes. This is absolutely necessary for women and teenage girls. ‘Servant Snatching’ is the current craze among urban elite. Domestic servants should never be employed without proper references and police background verification. Their home addresses and residential details should have documentary proof and photo copies of these should be kept carefully for future reference. Where there are teen-age girls and elderly people, the need to verify the background of youthful servants should not be over looked. In Metropolitan Cities, cheap domestic labour is now available from the so-called displaced persons/migrants. It is dangerous to employs these people without proper verification.

In colonies and apartment complexes, security arrangements should receive the best attention of all residents. Watch and ward arrangements could be entrusted to a reputed private security firm. Residents should adopt some restrains and prohibit vendors from visiting the premises at all times and resist the temptation of using the security guard as an additional domestic help.

While travelling by car, avoid lonely roads after dark. It is better to follow a public transport even if it means slow progress. Do not give lifts to strangers and as a matter of habit lock all doors while driving. Watch out for any vehicle tailing or trying to cut and run the vehicle off the road. A powerful torch and a stout lathi should always be available in the Car. The brief case should be stacked under the seat or a simple locking system should be fitted to prevent snatching. If stranded on a lonely spot at night, never leave a lady alone with the Car.

When any criminal activity like Drug pushing, eve teasing, loitering etc. are noticed in the locality, the Residents Association should promptly bring these to the notice of the senior police officers and take collective action to drive out the evil from the locality.

Crime can be controlled, if not completely eradicated, if citizens can give a helping hand to the police. The measures indicated above could be tried with little effort and at low cost. A crime free environment enables the Society to blossom to its full capabilities. Let us all join hands to combat the crime menace.

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