Criminals raising their heads again
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
After the taking-over of power by the caretaker government of Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed on January 11, 2007, we, the general public, saw a dramatic improvement of the overall law and order situation. Not only hartals and blockades were gone, the incidents of criminal activities including those of robberies, muggings, killings, rapes etc were on a decline to a significant level. But recently we see a surge in crimes.
The figures compiled by the police show a rise in incidents of crimes - 73 killings, 21 robberies, 72 sexual assaults - in the second quarter of 2008 in Dhaka city, higher than those of the previous quarter. The shopowners in Mirpur area became scared after the sensational robbery in a jewellery shop on July 8 in which jewellery and cash valued at Tk 15 million were looted-- and that was reported to be a 'staged event' by one of the local underworld 'don' there. In this climate of fear and insecurity, trade and commerce can hardly continue operations. The extortionists have become more active, again.
Police bosses are saying that they have taken different anti-crime measures including setting up of check posts and increasing patrol and other vigilance operation by plainclothesmen. But the reality is that the number of crimes is rising in the metropolis. Besides, police must take care that the check posts do not become a source of harassment, causing insult to common citizens. Surely, intensified police watch is necessary. But it is not the police alone. Other agencies of the government must also understand that high costs of essentials have left many people in serious vulnerable conditions. Unemployment, poverty and destitution are the contributing factors to the rise in crimes. We need to address the root causes of crime, in tandem with effective police actions to deal with it.
Ahmed Reza
Dhanmandi R/A
Dhaka
The figures compiled by the police show a rise in incidents of crimes - 73 killings, 21 robberies, 72 sexual assaults - in the second quarter of 2008 in Dhaka city, higher than those of the previous quarter. The shopowners in Mirpur area became scared after the sensational robbery in a jewellery shop on July 8 in which jewellery and cash valued at Tk 15 million were looted-- and that was reported to be a 'staged event' by one of the local underworld 'don' there. In this climate of fear and insecurity, trade and commerce can hardly continue operations. The extortionists have become more active, again.
Police bosses are saying that they have taken different anti-crime measures including setting up of check posts and increasing patrol and other vigilance operation by plainclothesmen. But the reality is that the number of crimes is rising in the metropolis. Besides, police must take care that the check posts do not become a source of harassment, causing insult to common citizens. Surely, intensified police watch is necessary. But it is not the police alone. Other agencies of the government must also understand that high costs of essentials have left many people in serious vulnerable conditions. Unemployment, poverty and destitution are the contributing factors to the rise in crimes. We need to address the root causes of crime, in tandem with effective police actions to deal with it.
Ahmed Reza
Dhanmandi R/A
Dhaka