The stories of crimes printed in newspapers are read as fiction, until it happens with someone. I used to do the same, besides expressing despondency on table talks till it happened to me, whereas the law enforcing authorities take them as mundane reporting. The purpose of the government and the law enforcing agencies besides policy-making and carrying out important state functions is to provide security to the citizens. In other words, the job of the government is to provide services to the citizens to their satisfaction. About a year ago, our house was robbed and we lost all our valuables. We informed the rescue team at ‘15’ and within half an hour a Sub-Inspector of police arrived at our home giving us consolation, and little relief that there is some agency that cares for ordinary citizens like us. Without wasting time, he surveyed the house while expressing sorrow and sharing the anguish that we were carrying at that time. He spent some time with us, telling various tales of similar crimes. Then at the end of his survey, he implied that nothing could be done, since it is difficult to get clues in these kinds of crimes. Nevertheless, with the help of some of our friends, we got an FIR registered. Within no time, the whole locality was besieged by civil and uniformed law enforcing agencies. It virtually looked as if pretty soon the culprits will be apprehended. But to our surprise, another house at a couple blocks distance from our house got robbed, and that too in the presence of all that overwhelming security. This left the whole community perplexed. The agencies also felt embarrassed and assured us that soon we will get good news because it looks that the person is from this locality. Couple of weeks passed in soothing us with the words that arrests are going on, police has received some clues. Getting frustrated and tired, I approached some higher ranks in the police, who also acted promptly and assured that they would provide us all kinds of help. In the whole process, I figured out that all of them were very nice and well behaved. But alas! All the efforts, time and the obligations of my friends were done in vain. Not only that, the agencies also got tired of my follow-ups. And I was told politely not to follow up any more. With this state of affairs, the dwellers decided to hire their own ‘day and night time’ guards, so that they could sleep with peace of mind. But this too did not bear fruit. And not a month passed by that the same house was again broken into. What does this imply? Probably, no one has the answer to this question. This is the state of security for common man but it was all the more surprising that the security of the head of the state is not better than the common man.

Since the recent attacks on the President, I watched the TV closely to follow the events and heard all sort of comments starting with the expertise, police salaries, acquiring of modern equipment, training the manpower and terrorist activities. But no one talked of commitment to the job, loyalty to the state and service to the community. In fact, the criminals are more committed to their job than the experts of crime prevention. The time has come when we should think how much effort we put in our work to achieve the required results and provide service to the community. We have to seriously think whether we are dedicated to our work, or squander eight hours in banal matters, talking on phones, receiving friends and enjoying numerous cups of tea. In fact, it is diligence and conscientiousness that is required, and not only the modern gadgets and equipment and training abroad because the criminals of our country use more modern devices than our law enforcing agencies. It is hard to understand as to what prevents our agencies to discipline the traffic, and stop it on red lights. What modern training is required for this? What revamping and refurbishment is required to control the whoosh passing of government number plate bearing vehicles, and driving like suicide bombers? What art and skill is required to prevent using single digit or double-digit number plates? Who does not know that all sorts of number plates are in vogue and becoming source of false pride? For this, one can also argue that new eye transplant is required. When the police can stop an ordinary citizen on busy roads to get the car’s registration number engraved on the wind screen, then why can’t it stop all the above mentioned crimes? By the way, can we ask whether the cars thefts stop by engraving the registration numbers on the windscreens? And who has allowed the police to force the citizen to do it? Instead of wasting time and money in such bizarre activities, they should dedicate themselves to devise indigenous prevention and in depth investigation systems, which is definitely a painstaking job, and should stop indigenous system of harassment of citizens, that we keep hearing about all the time. Strong checking and ticketing systems have to be developed, and then easy to deposit fines procedures have to be evolved. In all the developed countries, police does not confiscate the registration books or driving licenses till the fine is paid.

Instead, each country has its own mechanism and so should we. These are personal documents, and should be held by the person’s driving. And once these documents are confiscated, people have to go through a lot of hassle before they get them back and the normalcy of life is restored. Rather a friendly system to furnish the fine should be evolved along with some punitive action to make them realise not to do in future. What we have mentioned is only one facet of security. Remember that the job of the police is many folds. First, to provide security to property and life, reporting the damage or wear and tear of public or private property to the concerned authorities, implement law and order; second, provide services to the public in general.

Since the police has to deal with all sorts of people, ranging from the illiterate to the educated, lowest to the highest stature of professions, the persons employed must be qualified, skilled to solve problems, instead of creating nuisance. They must develop ethics to deal with all diverse kinds of citizens and on top of all, educate masses about rules and regulations, as merely hanging banners or celebrating a law-enforcing week will not relieve them from their duty. Street management is the responsibility of a bigger parental body and that is government, which is from the same community and works for the welfare of the community. Finally, the dilemma is that we have recruited people of the qualification equivalent to naib qasid’s level, whose vision and expertise can be well understood and with that we have given them the powers that even many officers of grade 20 do not have in many offices.

The writer is Director Hamdarad Institute of Information technology, Hamdard University