Murders, robberies expose chinks in night patrolling

  • | Thursday | 20th September, 2018

A string of murders and robberies have exposed chinks in the night patrolling measures.On Wednesday night, even as the police were on a high alert following a shocking murder of a banker in Kardhani, several streets of the city remained deserted. In a recent crime meeting at the police headquarters, home minister Gulab Chand Kataria had wondered if the night patrolling is being ditched in favour of digital monitoring. “A DSP level official is present to patrol a zone each night, an IPS level official oversees the entire patrolling operations each night,” he said.Several other officials of the police, however, said that lack of staff has created problems in patrolling. “Till 2015 there were over 900 home guards, but as of today there are only 112 at our disposal. On wee hours of Thursday, an attempt to rob an ATM was made at Mahapura.

TimesView An elderly woman was beaten to death by robbers inside her house in Mansarovar and within days, a banker driving home in his car was shot dead by two gunmen. On wee hours of Thursday, an attempt to rob an ATM was made at Mahapura. The routine and repeat of such incidents cast aspersions about the efficacy of the innovative technological interventions like Abhay Command & Control Centre in controlling such spiraling crimes. In a recent crime meeting at the police headquarters, home minister Gulab Chand Kataria had wondered if the night patrolling is being ditched in favour of digital monitoring. Law and order is a very sensitive issue while the government needs technology for better vigil, the traditional strengths of strong policing network including the informer system need not be ignored so quickly till technology matures and yields results. In places like Mahapura, where the streetlights often don’t work and the road infrastructure is so bad, technology may not be the right option JAIPUR: Accelerator happy drivers, sporadic brawls and tipsy youths are common scenes one may witness on the city streets after dark. A string of murders and robberies have exposed chinks in the night patrolling measures.On Wednesday night, even as the police were on a high alert following a shocking murder of a banker in Kardhani, several streets of the city remained deserted. The cops remained absent on streets of Jawhar Nagar, Adarsh Nagar, Bajaj Nagar , Gandhi Nagar, Jalupura etc and their interior localities.Mahesh Doriya, a resident of Bajaj Nagar, told TOI that police presence in the area is far and few between after dark. This is the same area where a man had recently run over four labourers sleeping on the pavements. In fact, one may travel through an area of five kilometres and not find a single cop.At 1am, From RTO Circle to Jawahar Nagar crossroad, one has to drive through a deserted stretch with no one to take stock of speeding bikers and youths drinking liquor on pavements.At several other localities, including in Gandhi Nagar, one can see cars parked alongside the road under the tree with the passengers inside consuming liquor.At a tea shop which operates through the night near Lal Kothi, at 12.30am, three youths on a bike indulged in a heated talk with the vendor. Same scene was witnessed at a petrol pump in Jawahr Nagar where youths on bike clashed with the fuel station employees.The lawlessness and disorder on the streets after dark is nothing short of a nightmare for many who work in the nightshifts. “I always sit inside the ATM booth after 12.30 am because there are youths who throw beer bottles at me of sometimes indulge in a needless fight,” said an ATM guard on Tonk Road, adding that he works as part time as security guard to afford his RAS coaching and a place to study.Additional Commissioner (Crime) Nitin Deep Blaggan said that the police patrolling is dynamic and attempts to cover as many places as it could. “A DSP level official is present to patrol a zone each night, an IPS level official oversees the entire patrolling operations each night,” he said.Several other officials of the police, however, said that lack of staff has created problems in patrolling. “Till 2015 there were over 900 home guards, but as of today there are only 112 at our disposal. The police constables cannot be posted at every part of the city,” an official said.

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