Criminals are back to add to mounting worries
Monday, 17 March 2008
Shamsul Huq Zahid
FOLLOWING the proclamation of the state of emergency by the incumbent caretaker administration in January last year, the law and order situation turned better than anytime before. But in recent months, there has been a marked deterioration in the situation with an increase in the number of killings, mugging and incidents of robbery across the country.
The law and order situation in Dhaka, of late, has become worse. In the last couple of weeks, 17 persons were murdered in the capital city where concentration of all types of law enforcers is more than any place of the country. There have been also a number of daring robberies in which robbers took away valuables at gun point. Besides, various criminal gangs, namely, 'malam party', 'aggayan party' and 'gamcha party' have been very much active in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. The robbers have extended their operation even to running trains. The other day a group of dacoits looted the valuables belonging to the passengers of a Dhaka-bound train from the port city of Chittagong and killed an attendant of the train for trying to resist them. All these incidents have been taking place when the Inspector General of Police(IGP) is trying to project a reformed-face of the police force. However, not only the rising incidents of crimes but also the abatement of criminals by the police has made it difficult for the IGP to carry on with his mission.
The State is supposed to ensure five basic needs of the people. But a poor country like Bangladesh can hardly afford to ensure that. And the people, despite all the mal-governance, corruption and misuse of resources, have never made loud compliant about it. The people, barring the affluent ones, are now going through a very difficult time as far as prices of most food items and employment situation are concerned. Over a period of one year, the prices of rice, wheat, edible oil, lentil etc., have more than doubled. There exists some sort of restlessness among the population over the price situation. A marked slowdown in private as well as public investment has exacerbated the problem of unemployment both in rural and urban areas, leading to increased migration of the poor people from rural to urban areas in recent months. Almost everyone is worried about the escalating prices of food items. The deteriorating law and order is yet another addition to their worries.
However, quite logically, experts in the relevant field do feel that soaring food prices, rising unemployment, entry of a new band of juvenile criminals and return of the old criminals who had gone into hiding since early last year, have been responsible for the recent rise in crime incidents. Whatever may be the reason behind the recent spurt in criminal activities, one can hardly miss to observe the slackness on the part of the law enforcing agencies in the maintenance of law and order in recent months. The Rapid Action Battalion(RAB), notwithstanding the allegation of human rights violation against it, had been instrumental in the improvement in law and order situation during the rule of the immediate past government. Many notorious criminals had fled the country and many others gone into hiding when the RAB started a strong campaign against the criminals. But the RAB, it seems, is now not as active as it was before for unexplained reasons.
Some people in authority often tend to refer to the existence of criminal activities in the developed countries in a veiled attempt to cover up their own failures in punishing the criminals as well as errant police officials. But they very conveniently forget to point out the sincere and honest attempt of the police in those countries to solve every crime committed.
Soon after the proclamation of emergency, there were major changes in the police administration and the top ranking police officials promised to bring about reforms in the police work. There were few visible changes such as opening up a few model police stations and the installation of one-point service desks at a number of police stations in Dhaka. But as if to prove the adage --the old habit die hard-true the situation inside police stations and attitude of the policemen are yet to change for the better.
This scribe has persistently advocated for bringing in improvement in perks and privileges of the policemen because of the very nature of the job the policemen are made to perform. Compared to the job a policeman of low and middle rank is assigned to do, his or her salary and other benefits are too meagre. Besides, the authorities do need to understand the fact that an offender would try his utmost to get off the hook by bribing a police official. It would be very easy to entice the police official dissatisfied with his or her earning. There is no denying that greed factor is a part of human nature and even officials earning fat salaries do often take bribes. But the fact remains that many police officials, possibly could have resisted the temptation to indulge in illegal earning had they been satisfied with their legal earning.
The incumbent government has put the top corrupt elements on trial and anti-graft action is very much on. But the fact remains that the discipline that was visible in most places soon after the proclamation of emergency, to a great extent, has now disappeared. Traffic on the streets is chaotic and vehicles, mainly passenger buses, giving a damn to traffic laws, the officials in government offices and public sector utility services are seeking bribe money, in some cases at higher rates, and unauthorised persons have reoccupied government land, streets and pavements. In sum, the fear factor that made the delinquents temporarily disciplined is gone. It is the job of the authorities concerned to find out the reasons for the return of indiscipline, crime and other activities that are detrimental to the society and take appropriate actions.
FOLLOWING the proclamation of the state of emergency by the incumbent caretaker administration in January last year, the law and order situation turned better than anytime before. But in recent months, there has been a marked deterioration in the situation with an increase in the number of killings, mugging and incidents of robbery across the country.
The law and order situation in Dhaka, of late, has become worse. In the last couple of weeks, 17 persons were murdered in the capital city where concentration of all types of law enforcers is more than any place of the country. There have been also a number of daring robberies in which robbers took away valuables at gun point. Besides, various criminal gangs, namely, 'malam party', 'aggayan party' and 'gamcha party' have been very much active in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. The robbers have extended their operation even to running trains. The other day a group of dacoits looted the valuables belonging to the passengers of a Dhaka-bound train from the port city of Chittagong and killed an attendant of the train for trying to resist them. All these incidents have been taking place when the Inspector General of Police(IGP) is trying to project a reformed-face of the police force. However, not only the rising incidents of crimes but also the abatement of criminals by the police has made it difficult for the IGP to carry on with his mission.
The State is supposed to ensure five basic needs of the people. But a poor country like Bangladesh can hardly afford to ensure that. And the people, despite all the mal-governance, corruption and misuse of resources, have never made loud compliant about it. The people, barring the affluent ones, are now going through a very difficult time as far as prices of most food items and employment situation are concerned. Over a period of one year, the prices of rice, wheat, edible oil, lentil etc., have more than doubled. There exists some sort of restlessness among the population over the price situation. A marked slowdown in private as well as public investment has exacerbated the problem of unemployment both in rural and urban areas, leading to increased migration of the poor people from rural to urban areas in recent months. Almost everyone is worried about the escalating prices of food items. The deteriorating law and order is yet another addition to their worries.
However, quite logically, experts in the relevant field do feel that soaring food prices, rising unemployment, entry of a new band of juvenile criminals and return of the old criminals who had gone into hiding since early last year, have been responsible for the recent rise in crime incidents. Whatever may be the reason behind the recent spurt in criminal activities, one can hardly miss to observe the slackness on the part of the law enforcing agencies in the maintenance of law and order in recent months. The Rapid Action Battalion(RAB), notwithstanding the allegation of human rights violation against it, had been instrumental in the improvement in law and order situation during the rule of the immediate past government. Many notorious criminals had fled the country and many others gone into hiding when the RAB started a strong campaign against the criminals. But the RAB, it seems, is now not as active as it was before for unexplained reasons.
Some people in authority often tend to refer to the existence of criminal activities in the developed countries in a veiled attempt to cover up their own failures in punishing the criminals as well as errant police officials. But they very conveniently forget to point out the sincere and honest attempt of the police in those countries to solve every crime committed.
Soon after the proclamation of emergency, there were major changes in the police administration and the top ranking police officials promised to bring about reforms in the police work. There were few visible changes such as opening up a few model police stations and the installation of one-point service desks at a number of police stations in Dhaka. But as if to prove the adage --the old habit die hard-true the situation inside police stations and attitude of the policemen are yet to change for the better.
This scribe has persistently advocated for bringing in improvement in perks and privileges of the policemen because of the very nature of the job the policemen are made to perform. Compared to the job a policeman of low and middle rank is assigned to do, his or her salary and other benefits are too meagre. Besides, the authorities do need to understand the fact that an offender would try his utmost to get off the hook by bribing a police official. It would be very easy to entice the police official dissatisfied with his or her earning. There is no denying that greed factor is a part of human nature and even officials earning fat salaries do often take bribes. But the fact remains that many police officials, possibly could have resisted the temptation to indulge in illegal earning had they been satisfied with their legal earning.
The incumbent government has put the top corrupt elements on trial and anti-graft action is very much on. But the fact remains that the discipline that was visible in most places soon after the proclamation of emergency, to a great extent, has now disappeared. Traffic on the streets is chaotic and vehicles, mainly passenger buses, giving a damn to traffic laws, the officials in government offices and public sector utility services are seeking bribe money, in some cases at higher rates, and unauthorised persons have reoccupied government land, streets and pavements. In sum, the fear factor that made the delinquents temporarily disciplined is gone. It is the job of the authorities concerned to find out the reasons for the return of indiscipline, crime and other activities that are detrimental to the society and take appropriate actions.