Figures about crime rate don’t lie, but policing can always improve

NAGPUR: The panellists were of the view that crime has definitely increased in the last few years but added that Nagpur was still safer than other big cities in the country. On the question whether the city was safe enough for women, Aruna Namballa, vice-president of All India Reporter Law Research and Education Institute, said, "Safety is a relative term. A woman having confidence in self might feel safe while venturing out of the house but others in the family may not share her view."

What matters is awareness, said Saniya Parvez, a corporate trainer and research student. "Women should know which places are safe and the ones that need to be avoided," she said while explaining how good judgment played a key role in safety.

Sunita Thakre, a social worker, gave example of a woman who has been struggling to get back her infant boy who was allegedly sold by her husband nine months ago. "The police failed to take cognizance in the case," said Thakre and emphasized she wasn't impressed with police action in cases pertaining to women.

With rise of social media, there has been spurt in cyber crime cases. Namballa added stalking was another major concern for women. Parvez pointed out that while focus was on curbing crimes happening on the streets, the ones taking place inside homes shouldn't be ignored.

Asked about crimes that worry them the most, Bhavna Thaker, former presiding officer of Family Court, stated chain-snatching was a major problem. Sunita considered women trafficking as the biggest scourge. Giving example of a case filed at Sakkardara police station, she questioned why the police failed to prevent the accused from securing bail in quick time.

For SM Rajan, director of Central India College of Law, easy access to pornography was driving youth to commit sexual crimes. Namballa stated she had learnt about how students of a top school in the city were being sold pornographic films and subsequently lured into taking drugs. While she also blamed parents who pampered their kids, Rajan felt parents whose children, especially girls, stay in hostels needed to be more watchful.

Against the general perception that alcoholism was the main trigger for most crimes, Sahil Dewani, a practising lawyer, claimed drug addiction had emerged as a bigger problem in the last five years. "Nowadays, drugs are easily available in the city and the peddlers usually target youth," he said.

Even as Rajan appreciated the police action against hookah parlours, senior PI Ashok Bagul, who is pursuing PhD in policing and contemporary law and society, stated that drug smuggling topped mafia dealings in the city. He admitted the current police machinery wasn't good enough to take on the more sophisticated drug dealers. "But human trafficking will soon overtake drug smuggling," he added.

Though PI Bagul admitted the crime rate had increased in the city, he claimed the city police were doing their best despite various limitations. "Firstly, there is serious manpower shortage and the salaries too are low. But as the law enforcement agency, police cannot shirk their duty. Police have to do their best with whatever they have in terms of infrastructure," he added.

"Almost 88% of the police personnel is constabulary who are not highly educated," Bagul said.

Countering Bagul, Bhawna Thaker said that most times, cops ignored genuine complaints. Sunita wanted to know why many criminals were moving freely and why offences were not registered quickly. Rajan attributed this to low awareness among the constabulary regarding various procedures. "They also need to be socially aware and responsive towards the complainants," he said. Bagul said the Indian judicial system was the best in the world but most people are not aware of the legal framework in the country.

Dewani said it was not correct to generalize. "There is very little police can do in case of crimes arising out of family dispute," he said. Namballa pointed out that the police were prompt in attending complaints filed by influential and prominent persons from certain sections of society. "Others are simply harassed," she said.

"Long distances between police stations are also an issue. Cops seem to forget the training they received before joining the force," said Parvez.

Bagul cited a survey conducted by an independent agency to explain the image of city police had improved a lot between 2014 and 2017. "Yes, there is huge scope for improvement. Taking into account various reports, the Supreme Court too has observed that the police system needs urgent reforms. The various DGPs have requested the government to increase manpower. Since the job of police is stressful, the recruitment procedure should not only test physical parameters but also psychological aspects," he said.