Although controversial, the law enforcement measures described as the ‘broken windows’ system, which were adopted by New York when Rudy Giuliani was Mayor, are largely believed to have significantly brought down the crime rate. Under this philosophy of combating crime, it is believed that arrests and prosecutions for small offences created an environment of lawful behaviour and deterred more serious crimes from taking place. The more lax police are with regard to petty crime, the more favourable an environment is created for serious offences. The habit of challenging the law at every level certainly creates a larger number of recruits for criminal gangs.
There is a lesson in this for the Police in Uttarakhand, which is facing a growing challenge from a variety of criminal elements. The heinous nature of the crimes is also increasing with cold-blooded and premeditated murders, frequent clashes, property and other frauds, etc., on the rise. In the big cities like Dehradun and Haridwar, for instance, merely managing traffic is proving an overwhelming task, requiring a disproportionate amount of time and human resources. Just imagine if this energy was released for other tasks, how much better the overall situation would be.
So, under the ‘carrots, sticks and broken windows’ philosophy, the police would be required to devise a plan to clamp down in a focused manner on the petty violations of the law – the type that anybody using the roads can see for themselves. If specific areas were designated on a consistent basis, and the required force deployed to enforce every single element of the law – from speeding, breaking lanes, unfit or overloaded vehicles, jaywalking, not wearing helmets, using mobiles while driving, to DUI, etc. – road use behaviour would change. With this, the instinct to obey the law would be enhanced, as also the fear of punishment if caught. It would reflect on behaviour in other areas of life. The improvement in traffic conditions over time would also show people the advantages of obeying what seem to be petty, inconvenient rules.
There is always the occasional SSP or SP-Traffic who attempts a crackdown, but loses interest once faced with political opposition – invariably there is the VIP with an inflated opinion of his worth who orders transfers or reprimands. With better planning and well briefed cops on the spot, this problem can be overcome. Most importantly, the campaign should continue over a long period of time and across the city, to make the necessary impact. Once the implacability of the police becomes evident, the situation is bound to improve and, eventually, the resources released to deal with the other, even more serious challenges.
