Declining crime rate: Reality or myth ?
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Many Bangladeshi expatriates have voiced this concern over the country's law and order situation, as reported by the media. Despite the claims that are made him to time by the functionaries of the government about improvements in law and order conditions in Bangladesh, the concern remains here among the members of the expatriates Bangladesh community.
And the people at home -- almost every day in Dhaka city and elsewhere -- are waking up to learn about grisly incidents of multiple murders, rape, acid throwing, property grabbing, muggings, etc. The pages of newspaper remain filled with reports of heinous murders.
The claim that less crimes are being committed was contradicted by figures that are compiled by some civil societies and other watchdog bodies. Thus, in the first six months of the current year, more than 11 thousand crimes of various sorts, as were thus reported, were committed in the country. This number is certainly no less but higher than similar estimates made in previous years. Thus, on what basis it can be stated that law and order conditions, have improved and are reflected in any lower tally of recorded crimes. Indeed, any objective assessment would show that not only the total number of crimes increased in the current year compared to that of immediate past years, heinous crimes like murder are also being done in greater number.
The crimes being committed are not remaining limited to traditional ones like murder, robbery, snatchings, etc. Crimes of a newer dimension such as making unsolicited sexual advances against females (described as eve-teasing or stalking), bursting into public offices and vandalizing them, property grabbing etc., are also on the rise.
Government can spare itself criticisms by calling a spade a spade and taking hard and uncompromising measures to improve law and order conditions.
Faizullah Baqui
Shantinagar, Dhaka.
And the people at home -- almost every day in Dhaka city and elsewhere -- are waking up to learn about grisly incidents of multiple murders, rape, acid throwing, property grabbing, muggings, etc. The pages of newspaper remain filled with reports of heinous murders.
The claim that less crimes are being committed was contradicted by figures that are compiled by some civil societies and other watchdog bodies. Thus, in the first six months of the current year, more than 11 thousand crimes of various sorts, as were thus reported, were committed in the country. This number is certainly no less but higher than similar estimates made in previous years. Thus, on what basis it can be stated that law and order conditions, have improved and are reflected in any lower tally of recorded crimes. Indeed, any objective assessment would show that not only the total number of crimes increased in the current year compared to that of immediate past years, heinous crimes like murder are also being done in greater number.
The crimes being committed are not remaining limited to traditional ones like murder, robbery, snatchings, etc. Crimes of a newer dimension such as making unsolicited sexual advances against females (described as eve-teasing or stalking), bursting into public offices and vandalizing them, property grabbing etc., are also on the rise.
Government can spare itself criticisms by calling a spade a spade and taking hard and uncompromising measures to improve law and order conditions.
Faizullah Baqui
Shantinagar, Dhaka.