Nothing deters burglars in city

By S. Shivakumar

If you think that security personnel posted at your doorstep can effectively keep the prowling burglars at bay, you are mistaken.

This Thursday, a four-member armed gang entered the house of a businessman at Panchaliamman Koil Street in Arumbakkam, ``well- protected by security personnel'' and escaped with cash and valuables.

This incident, which has left the residents in a state of shock, has also disproved conventional belief that gullibility and ill- preparedness of the victims are to be blamed for any crime.

The incident came close on the heels of another burglary, this time at the house of an Additional Director General of Police at `O' block in Anna Nagar. Though the intruders left with no booty, the incident proved that even the house of senior police officers were not safe.

Earlier this month, a gang targeted the house of an industrialist at Valmiki Nagar in Thiruvanmiyur. The gangsters attacked the watchman, entered the house by breaking open a window and escaped with Rs. 50,000 in cash, a diamond ring and an Opel Astra car. An industrialist's house in JJ Nagar was also targeted.

Last month, two youths robbed an aged woman of her cash and jewels at T.P. Chatram after attempting to murder her. The youths were later arrested but the fear remains among the residents.

Just a couple of days earlier, burglars struck at Virugambakkam.

In Chennai, during the past two years, over 5,000 incidents of property crimes have been reported. For the current year, it has already crossed 2,500 including four incidents of murder for gain, 10 dacoities and 87 robberies.

With robber gangs striking at will and even targeting houses which are well-guarded, the security apparatus in the city has come under scrutiny. ``This is a sharp pointer for the need to completely revamp the existing patrolling system'' says a retired police officer.

However, instead of plugging the loopholes in the security apparatus, senior police officers attempt to fudge statistics putting their subordinates in a fix. At a recent crime-review meeting, it was pointed out to a senior police officer that some police personnel ``fixed'' habitual offenders in crimes in which they were not at all involved. This was done to boost the crime- detection rate.

The cop-criminal nexus is another canker in the police set-up. Senior police officers are verifying if there are links between criminals and police personnel in every police station.

When a criminal involved in multiple cases is nabbed, in some police stations, the cops record only the properties stolen and recovered within their station limits and ``siphon off'' the articles stolen outside their jurisdictions.

A police officer was recently shocked to find the cellular phone number of a police inspector in the pocket of an offender.

Can the police-criminal nexus be broken? Perhaps yes, say a few police officers. But the crime managers should be encouraged with special incentives for detecting cases. Also, facilities should be provided to probe the cases further in which the accused have been arrested.

Lack of infrastructure for the crime wing is another perennial complaint. Though three crime DCP posts have been created in Chennai, it is said that they do not have even the necessary infrastructure.

Moreover, the creation of these posts, as part of Greater Chennai policing, has failed to serve its objective, points out an officer who was part of the project.

Under the plan, the offices of the DCPs and JCPs were to be shifted to their respective zones for better crime management and administrative convenience.

However, most of the offices continue to function from the City Police Commissionerate at Egmore.

The periodical ``crime review meetings'' too have turned out to be mere administrative rituals and failed to throw up concrete proposals to curb crime.

The result: Not a single day in Chennai passes without a couple of property crimes popping up on the crime records.

High walls and gates with security personnel were no protection against determined gangsters who made a violent strike on Panchaliamman Koil Street, Arumbakkam.

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