Tags:
Journalism of Courage
It8217;s not official. At least not in so many words. Nonetheless, the year-end spurt in heinous crimes evoked a rare admission of helplessness from the authorities. It took two double murders within 48 hours in South Delhi8217;s Saket to shake the dust off the palpable truth. The unnerved officialdom, right from Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to Delhi Police Commissioner V. N. Singh, united in not just expressing the customary shock but also in advising people to adopt an integrative approach to personal security. In other words, the loud and clear message transmitted to every man, woman and child was 8212; from now on, it8217;s everybody for himself in Delhi. And, by implication, women, children and the elderly, in particular, had better watch out.
Official acknowledgement apart, there8217;s little that8217;s new in the assertion. For quite some time now, Delhi has learnt to live with the unsavoury tag of being more crime-prone than even Patna. The Delhi Police has recorded a 12 per cent increase in cases of murder over the past five years, with the figure for overall increase in crime pegged at 17 per cent. In 1998, then, the Delhi Police recorded a total of 61,894 cases. Consider that vis-a-vis the figure of 20,000 personnel available to police the ever-growing megalopolis with a population of 13 million, and you have one of the most obvious reasons for criminals having a free run.
Of the many things that are wrong with Delhi Police, the one that stands out is the alienation of the officer cadre within the force. To most of those who come via the Indian Police Service route, it is just another job but they do succeed in blocking the way for those who rise through the ranks. Resentment within the force is, therefore, natural, especially at a time when there are too many seniors floating around. Further, the institution of the beat constable has to be revived if preventive policing has to be introduced in any measure. So, perhaps, it is time to borrow all over again from the British model.
