The Hindu : New Delhi News : Grey areas in policing Law & order

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Saturday, Jan 05, 2008
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New Delhi

Grey areas in policing Law & order

The emerging trend indicates that heavily armed criminals are operating in large groups in the Capital, observes Devesh K. Pandey

Looking back at their performance during the year just gone by, the Delhi police would surely be patting themselves on the back for having improved the crime detection and conviction rates. However, there are still certain areas that need urgent attention if the rate of crime in the Capital is to be brought down.

As statistics reveal, a major cause for concern is the sharp increase in cases of dacoity last year. From 13 in 2006, dacoity incidents went up to 33 in 2007. This emerging trend indicates that heavily armed criminals are operating in large groups in the city making it difficult for potential victims to defend themselves.

In a way, the data is also a reflection of the policy of free and fair registration of cases. The experience so far has been that there were instances of the police initially registering cases of robbery by showing the number of criminals to be four or less and later on passing it off as a worked-out dacoity once it was discovered that five or more people were involved in the crime. Cases of extortion have also gone up from 124 in 2006 to 135 last year, of which 34 are still unsolved. Burglary and house thefts are the crimes that affect the public the most and there has been a substantial increase under both heads. While incidents of burglary went up from 1,819 to 1,926, house theft cases increased from 1,347 to 1,522.

The police would be pleased over the fact that incidents of criminal assault on women have gone down, but cases of molestation have gone up from 713 to 835. The incidents of kidnapping or abduction, several of which relate to elopement, have also gone up from 1,360 to 1,605.

Undoubtedly, a major relief for the people is a sharp decline in motor vehicle thefts, but the work-out percentage under this head has also fallen last year compared to 2006. Cases of snatching have also gone down marginally.

Besides, there are several cases that remain to be solved and have become a source of embarrassment for the force that strives to become the best in the country.

Among them is the murder of the 70-year-old wife of an Italy-based woman at her Greater Kailash Part I residence, the mysterious death of fashion designer Mona Suri in Greater Kailash Part II, the attack on a young woman doctor inside the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation Hospital premises at Moti Nagar, and also the mysterious death of Modern Bazar founder Vishwant Kumar and his dogs this past month.

Statistics alone cannot be the yardsticks for understanding the crime scenario, said Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal at his press conference on Wednesday.

A credible criterion for judging the performance of the police is by gauging the trust and the confidence that the force enjoys in the eyes of the common man, and this is what they must strive for.

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