The Hindu : New Delhi News : Towards a crime-free NCR

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 16, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Towards a crime-free NCR

The importance of a sound system of intelligence gathering can no longer be overlooked, says Devesh K. Pandey

The decisions taken by the Delhi police and their counterparts in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh at the recent inter-State coordination meeting in the Capital may in the long run prove to be of paramount importance in checking crime in the National Capital Region.

There was unanimous agreement at the meeting to have seamless policing in the region and institutionalise the mechanism of sharing intelligence on criminals, an endeavour that would help build up pressure on such elements active in the area. The neighbouring States are presently linked online through the Zonal Integrated Police Network made available for information sharing, but police officers feel that it should be strengthened further through daily up-dating of records on criminals and other related issues for optimum results.

For various reasons, most coordination at present depends mainly on inter-personal relationships or the pro-active approach of police officers.

The officers at the meeting also advocated creation of a post of “nodal officer” at the district level to ensure smooth operation of the set-up. The meeting was considered important due to the participation of Delhi Police Commissioner Y. S. Dadwal and Haryana Police Director-General R. S. Dalal.

While it is still not clear when the proposals would be implemented, the importance of having a sound system of intelligence gathering and sharing can no longer be overlooked as criminals take advantage of lack of coordination among the forces in the various States to evade arrest. They take refuge in Delhi due to the anonymity it offers by virtue of it being a mammoth metropolis where it becomes difficult to monitor individual elements. Those committing crimes in the Capital seek refuge in satellite towns, taking advantage of the restrictions the territory imposes on the Delhi police.

It is common knowledge that the lure of publicity, credit and reward compels the police set-up of one State to seldom recognise the contributions made by their colleagues from other States. This invariably discourages them from collaborating in future and in turn jeopardises their prime goal of freeing society from crime. Therefore, law and order experts feel that while emphasising the need for an efficient intelligence-sharing system, the authorities should also consider publicly recognising the efforts of their colleagues from other States without fail.

Eventually a decision is nothing more than an idea under consideration until it is applied. In a bureaucratic system that is marred by endless red tape, prompt institutionalisation of the inter-State coordination mechanism will depend entirely on the willingness of the parties involved. This would entail rising above narrow motives and working methodically towards the actualisation of a greater good.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi