Creaking law and order

Against this backdrop, some important decisions were taken at a cabinet meeting on law and order. Police have to take a large part of the responsibility for the ever-worsening law and order situation. The Inspector General of Police put forward the suggestion that action be taken against law enforcers if they fail to arrest culprits within 48 hours of the crimes being committed. Implied in the decision is an acknowledgement of the fact that the police can catch criminals if they are serious in their pursuit. The view may add substance to the IG's recommendation and will also strengthen the case for breaking the much-talked about police-criminal nexus. Moreover, we think, political patronisation of criminals will have to cease.

There are certain things which cannot be bypassed in any discussion on law and order. By setting a deadline for arresting the criminals, the IG has only emphasised the need for quicker and decisive action on the part of the law enforcers. But such action will always depend on factors like manpower, equipment, mobility, training and motivation of the men chasing criminals.

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Reports indicate that the number of criminals has increased considerably in the city without a corresponding rise in the number of law enforcers, which means an unfavourable police-criminal ratio for law enforcement. Then a few more areas have become extremely crime-prone alongside the known vulnerable points. But it may not be easy to deal with the problem as much of the police strength is deployed on VIP duties and tailing processions.

As regards training and motivation, our police have not undergone the necessary modernisation and overhauling that could raise their level of efficiency appreciably. Police must also be able to adjust themselves to the changed circumstances in which crimes like murder and robbery are being committed in far greater numbers than petty variety.

We feel all the measures needed to modernise police must be adopted as a matter of priority. And steps like increasing the number of plainclothesmen at the vulnerable points should be considered to keep the situation under control.

Finally, the process of criminalisation has a lot to do with unemployment and a host of other social maladies which must be countered through reinstatement of parental authority topped off by creation of opportunities for the less privileged.