Everybody for himself

It’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 Delhi’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 — from now on, it’s everybody for himself in Delhi. And, by implication, women, children and the elderly, in particular, had better watch out.

Official acknowledgement apart, there’s little that’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.

Be that as it may, the decision to deploy central paramilitary forces can only be construed as a knee-jerk reaction which can only serve as a momentary show of force. It cannot rein in the denotified tribe of Pardis from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, who are suspected of at least the second double murder. Nor can it provide any lasting solace to the fear-stricken Delhiites. The way out, if there is any, has to be a vastly improved utilisation of the present force, too many of whom are deployed in VIP security, for instance.

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.