Questions have been raised about the ‘law and order’ situation in Uttarakhand, even from within the ruling party’s ranks. While the BJP leaders may be doing so to prevent the opposition from making it their issue, particularly in the context of approaching municipal and panchayat elections, the fact remains that for some time now certain high-profile incidents have taken place to merit such concern. And it is not just murder, rape, dacoity and such like that seem to be on the rise, white collar crime has also made a heavy dent on the state’s record. In the latter case, with cyber-crime and con jobs emanating from just about any part of the world, the challenge for investigating agencies has considerably increased.
On their part, the police are handicapped in many ways. First, the number of uniformed personnel available is much less than required, even as the workload has increased. One of the major shortcomings is the failure to obtain convictions under a judicial process that is notoriously slow. There is nothing that criminals like more than to have their cases in court, particularly in civil matters, as that ensures decades will pass before there is a verdict. (The charge-sheet against Jagdish Tytler in the killing of Sikhs in Delhi has been filed recently, forty years after the event.) In such a situation, the police are helpless even if, in fact, the actual perpetrators have been caught and credible evidence has been collected. Although, the trend has not quite caught on in Uttarakhand, such conditions lead to increased vigilante violence. The laws till recently were archaic, while the new, supposedly better ones are still to be incorporated in everyday functioning. While technological advances have been rapid in the realm of forensics, training and on-the-ground experience is lacking among the police. There is no doubt that the increasing spread of CCTV coverage of the public space is proving a tremendous aid, but that is small consolation in the larger picture.
With scarce human resources, the police need to involve statistical techniques to identify trends, areas of focus and deployment patterns. It should not be left just to the personal quirks of individual officers on how to utilise resources or identify priorities. Not just statisticians, social scientists and psychologists should also be involved in approach adaptation. If certain types of crimes are witnessed among migrant labourers, for instance, the reasons should be identified and addressed. It is a complex challenge and will not be solved by mere transfers and reshuffles. Till then, the citizens had better look out for themselves.
