Police, public both need to be vigilant in checking crime

Open House: Do you think the police need to take drastic steps to curb crime in the city?

Track criminals using GPS-equipped app

With an increase in crime in the city, safety of citizens is at stake. To curb criminal activities, we need to find the originating point and the circumstances that lead people to commit such crimes. The police will have to be more vigilant. Drastic measures need to be taken to hold back such activities. A GPS-equipped mobile app could be used to tackle this problem. A “one-push panic button” should be provided in that app, on pressing which information about the user’s location is sent to the nearby police stations. This will be useful only if the police take quick action and trace the robbers on time. Also, a GPS chip linked with that mobile application could also be installed on vehicles to trace their path.

Sachin Sharma

CCTV cameras a must at crowded places

To check crime rate in the city, a plan to install CCTV cameras at all crowded places was announced in June 2011 by then local MP Navjot Singh Sidhu. The same should be implemented at the earliest. It should be made mandatory for all big commercial establishments to install CCTVs inside and outside their establishments. On September 28, 2018, under the smart city project, four parking sensors were installed on the Mall Road to control illegal parking and theft of vehicles but the project was abandoned without any valid reason and should be revived at all major roads. The police should get more autonomy and political interference should end. Moreover, policemen should be deputed in civil dress at crowded places on weekends to keep a tab on any unlawful activity. Also, higher official such as DCs, ADCs, SDMs and all IPS officers at the district level should visit commercial markets to have first-hand information and interact with traders of the area and extend a sympathetic ear to their problems with regard to the law and order situation on a regular basis.

Naresh Johar

Promote citizens of good conduct as role models

For the overall development of the society, it is important for the authorities to ensure safety of the public. To check the crime rate in the city, there is a need to use improved high technology by the police to nab anti-social elements

Citizens of good conduct and celebrities should be promoted as role models on social media to set an example for the residents to follow. If someone is stopping or preventing any kind of crime (in any way or proportion) then the police should make their videos viral as a message and sign of motivation for others. Criminals who joined the mainstream must be highlighted positively

There is a need to encourage humanity in our society. Spirituality too should be promoted so that people do not deviate and commit crimes in society

The issues of unemployment, drug abuse and begging should be ended as these are leading to a spike in crime incidents in the city

The number of CCTV cameras installed should be increased. Camps on learning techniques of self-defence should be organised and made mandatory for girls and children to ensure their safety. — Manmeet Pal Kaur

Install CCTVs at every chowk

Most effective step to curb such incidents would be installation of CCTV cameras at every chowk and main areas in the city. The police need to take action on these incidents and should conduct immediate investigation to nab the culprits. Proper steps can be taken along with the usage of suitable technology.

Harsimran Singh Ghai

Police-public cooperation required

The increase in crime incidents amid the pandemic has become a cause for concern. The threat of these activities has been giving sleepless nights to the authorities and residents. Residents are grappling to eradicate this menace but if no serious measures are made to check this, then it will expose the vulnerability of the police in ensuring safety of the people. Under the current circumstances, the police need to take firm steps such as problem-oriented policing (strategic planning, proactive attitude and multiple solutions). Also, areas where more crime incidents are reported (high-risk zones) should be identified and be classified for better surveillance. Although it’s not only the police who need to work on this, implementation of problem-resolution mechanism involves cooperation of social services, education sector, urban managers, business associations, local representatives, community organisations and citizens.

Shravil

QUESTION

As the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is at its peak, will night curfew in the state help in restraining the spread of the deadly virus?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to amritsardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (April 22).

Public outcry against crime need of the hour

Lord William Bentinck had eliminated Thugs and Thuggery in India by 1831. For the last over 15 years, I have been regularly reading news reports of snatching purses, gold chains, bangles, ear-rings, rings and mobile phones with utter dismay and seriously thinking about the lax governance. Apart from these, there are reports of breaking of the window glasses of cars to take away laptops and other valuables by brandishing daggers or even pistols by criminals creating fear and a sense of insecurity among the general public. Predominantly, women are targeted mostly – be they are Indians or foreigners. The news reports of arresting and busting snatchers’ gangs appear in almost equal numbers, but never making any change in the ground reality of consistent escalation of this most feared crime. There has never been any vociferous outcry against this crime whereas many other petty issues ignite public ire in the form of processions, dharnas and road blockades.

Hardish Sandhu

Police must take strict action

Over the past few months, the city has witnessed a spurt in crime incidents such as firing, snatching, robbery, etc. Every day many such incidents are reported. Criminals are fearlessly commit crimes and go scot-free. It seems that the safety of residents has already been compromised and the law and order situation is getting worse by the day. The police need to take not only drastic steps but also speedy action to curb such incidents in the city.

Sanjay Chawla

Time-bound action will help curb crime

Amid the pandemic, people are not only fighting the virus but also crime. Due to a sharp increase in number of criminal incidents recently, people expect, rather demand, the police to take drastic measures to control such incidents such as no political interference in registration of an FIR and investigation of crime cases, senior police cops to mandate their professional supervision, time-bound redress measures and action taken reports. These steps will surely improve the situation at the ground level.

TS Bhatti

How can our police solve any criminal case effectively when a large number of police personnel are deputed as security guards of VVIPs. Every other day, Amritsar Police claim of busting a car snatching gang, in reality there is no let-up in the incidents of the crime. The incidents of snatching have tarnished the image of the holy city. We hope that the police do not become complacent after apprehending some criminals and busting criminal gangs. The Amritsar Police have to be more vigilant to check the rising incidents of snatching and other crimes in the city. It has been noticed that after cracking a case the police feel smug and lower their guard. The possibility of some bad apples in police force conniving with miscreants for some share in the ill gotten booty cannot be ruled out. It is high time only a limited number of policemen were deputed on VIP security. A special well trained police squad equipped with advanced electronic gadgetry as well active cooperation of residents will go a long way in checking the menace.

LJ Singh

Prompt action, chasing of criminals must

The police are not doing anything to improve the situation of increasing incidents of car-jacking and snatching in our cities. Our ‘guardians of the citizens’ have become rather immune to such incidents taking place on regular basis.They have failed to plan a suitable strategy to tackle this problem. Police force must be deployed at various vulnerable locations with suitable electronic gadgets to remain in touch with their other officers and keep a tab of all anti-social elements. Prompt action and chasing the criminals is the need of the hour. To some extent, we too must share the blame for our indifference, when we do not help the victim by striving to caution the other passersby to stop these culprits from fleeing the spot easily. Loud howling and shouting such as ‘catch the thief’ etc may help in nabbing them. Will it be an offence to suspect some elements in our police force itself, who may be conniving with culprits to get away.Thorough interrogation/ debriefing of duty police persons near the place of such incidents will also help in establishing the role and competence of concerned policemen.

PL Singh

Citizens must report incident on time

Certainly, there has been a tremendous increase in the crime incidents like firing, snatching, robbery, etc. Yes, I do feel unsafe amid this scenario. I want to be an IPS officer, therefore I have always been engrossed towards watching crime-based programmes such as Savdhaan India – India fights back, Crime patrol and CID etc. These shows depict the crimes being carried out at a large scale and how the police solve these cases and track the criminals. This shows that the police perform their duty with full responsibility, but should be more aware of all these incidents. The citizens too should inform the police about the incidents in time and file an FIR. Such incidents can be reduced only if the citizens cooperate with the police and trust them.

Izleen

Lawlessness is growing unabated at an alarming rate. Who does not feel unsafe and insecure amid such a scenario wherein the criminals are striking with impunity as and when they please? It speaks volumes about the inefficiency and incompetence of the police who have miserably failed to break the backbone of the criminals prowling in broad daylight. The police must take drastic steps to curb crime incidents. It should ensure obedience to the law and try to make ‘the rule of law’ a reality. The present law follows a circuitous procedure to punish the guilty. More often than not, the real culprits go scot free which acts as an encouraging factor for the prospective criminals to commit more crimes. Right education is needed to make the citizens socially and psychologically healthy. Besides, law should be made more stringent and should be enforced rigorously. We have the police with all their weaponry, surveillance and round-the-clock vigil, yet incidents of firing, snatching and robbery take place frequently. The police and the public will have to work in tandem to get rid of the menace. All residents of a vulnerable area should be sensitised about the danger lurking near them. Security and police personnel should remain alert all time particularly during festive occasions and at crowded public places. The people should report any suspicious looking person immediately to the police before he strikes. The police must proceed with a well-thought out and well-planned strategy to check the perpetrators of crime incidents. Public too should take up the responsibility to install advanced security systems at their homes. The district police should set up a special cell for the assistance of people to make them feel safe and secure from the vultures of crime. The Cell should endeavour to ensure effective and prompt response to the people’s distress call. Fear of judiciary must be instilled in the minds of the criminals to halt the advance of the crime graph.

Tarsem S Bumrah

Make use of technology to track criminals

Today’s Indian society is dominated by unlawful activities. Survey reports of recent months witness the spread of crimes like robbery, theft, snatching and illegal firing in Punjab. Need for money, lack of opportunities and easy access to weapons influence youngsters to commit crime. Zeal to own latest gadgets, passion to drive luxury vehicles and hosting grand parties to impress friends are basic reasons behind deviation towards crime. Mainly, high consumption and addiction of drugs, liquor and illegal firing during parties paves a way towards crime zone for youngsters. Though the police have increased surveillance on roads and put up check points across the cities but the situation does not seem to be improving as most of the time these steps are not implemented at ground level. The police have to take some serious steps to tackle this situation. It’s the duty of the government to provide them with latest technology, gadgets and vehicles for their convenience.

Parampreet Kaur

Know difference between need & want

As per crime rate chart, the crime rate has increased by 47 per cent in Amritsar cityin the past three years, in which 65 per cent of the crimes included those related to corruption and bribery, 53 per cent was related to people dealing with drugs, 43 per cent and 37 per cent related to theft and robbery respectively. The increase in crime incidents in the city is due to increase in number drug addicts; continuous increase in Arms licence to youngsters; lack of standard in education system, where schools, colleges and universities are teaching children to be more money-oriented instead of making them understand the difference between needs and wants; unemployment; unfair judicial system; poverty and gangster culture which influences youngsters in a negative way. To curb the crime incidents, the police should treat people equally and make an independent and fair probe. The police must make effective use of their surveillance systems such as CCTV cameras and alarm system specially placed at public places during night.

Ankur Gupta

Wake-up call for the police

Incidents of purse-snatching and theft have become common in the city. Last week, a well known surgeon Dr Navpreet Singh’s son was shot at and his car was seized near Chheherta. I spoke to about ten people and almost everyone narrated similar unpleasant incidents. Recently in my neighbourhood, a scooter thief disguised as a rag picker, stole the vehicle from a house and fled the spot in broad daylight. The incident was captured in a CCTV camera installed at a shop opposite to the house. If the crime rate came down drastically last year, it was probably due to the nation-wide lockdown. Things are now back to square one, cyber crimes too are rising at an alarming rate. We often read about one or the other gang getting nabbed by the police, but hardly any of them are convicted. The police know what to do to tackle the problem well and have highly competent officers, but there is no political will.

Mohan Singh

Unemployment the main reason

The scenario in the state is the result of a weak government and governance. Unemployment is one of the reasons behind increase in rate of crime. Incidents such as murder, robbery, rape, snatching, firing and fraud are on rise and the police are not doing anything to check these activities. While the people are living in a complete sense of insecurity due to this lawlessness, our political leaders are busy in back stabbing each other and not paying attention to the needs of the residents and make strict laws and take steps to curb crime rate in the state. Political vendetta has weakened the system and corruption is everywhere. The government must know its role and duty and do the needful to check the crime rate for the convenience of the public.

Indu Aurora

Remain alert while out in public places

Incidents of firing, snatching and robbery have spread like a disease in our city. Gone are the days when life was secure and peaceful and people lived a carefree life. A few days back, a heart wrenching firing incident was reported which made me wonder and question the meagre existence of humanity left in the society. A person’s life is precious than anything else and people need to always remember this. Unfortunately, there is no end to similar cases of firing, snatching and robbery in the past few days. One has to remain alert and cautious while out in the public places and the police too need to take some drastic steps to ensure safety of the people.

Manvi Malhotra

Reward persons helping victims

It is such a shame that the holy city is witnessing so many crime incidents recently. I do feel unsafe in such a scenario and the authorities should take more strict action against the anti-social elements behind these incidents. More number of CCTV cameras must be installed throughout the city so that any wrongdoing can be rectified instantly. Any person who helps the victim in a crime incident can be rewarded with cash to ensure active participation of the residents. Both the people and authorities must come together to make the city peaceful and safe.

Jatinderpal Singh Batth

Time to work as a community

The citizens are going through tough times due to the present situation of lawlessness in the nation. While the rising rate of unemployment, stalled businesses and Covid-induced lockdowns badly impacted the lives of the rural and lower middle class people, the increasing rate of crime is adding to the woes of the people. It is high time that we work as a community and not at individual level to improve the situation in our society and stay vigilant. The police and the government should chalk out plans and policies to keep a check on the increasing number of crime incidents in the city. Police patrolling too needs to be increased to prevent such incidents.

Kush Arora