Track down criminals

Special police units have, according to press reports, been sent to Ratnapura in search of the gang that carried out the daring heist there last week.

These measures notwithstanding, criminals are having a field day. It was only the other day that they broke into a hotel in Ratnapura, ransacked the place, helped themselves leisurely to spirits and food and even went to the extent of asking for the brides who were on honey-moon in the hotel before escaping with their booty which included gems worth millions of rupees.

There have been reports of many such scenes of crimes where criminals were the least bothered about the possibility of being captured by the police as manifest in the aplomb and composure they displayed after committing the crimes.

The manner in which most of these robberies are carried out points to the growing confidence of criminals vis a vis evident failure of the state to guarantee protection to its citizenry. Precious little has been done by way of keeping these criminal gangs at bay.

The police are wise only after the event. As for forestalling these crimes the measures adopted by the police are woefully inadequate. Their ability to gather intelligence about various gangs operating in the country remains very poor. As a result they have no option but to grope in the dark in carrying out investigations.

Unsrupulous high ranking police officers are said to be in league with these gangs. Certain politicians too are said to be harbouring the criminals who are directly responsible for the much dreaded spate of daring robberies that have put the police to shame.

While this nexus has to be busted, there are also other measures that can be adopted to counter these gangs. It has been established that military deserters are also involved in these criminal rings. Every attempt must be made to track down the deserters who are still at large and a tab must be kept on those who have either retired from or duly left the service but are behaving in a manner that has aroused the suspicion of the police and the public.

Circulation of a great deal of black money in the country has also enabled survival of criminals, for here virtually none other than fixed income earners are required to account for wealth they have amassed. Those who are in possession of black money, as is known, deal in anti- social activities such as the narcotics trade and gun-running. This money once successfully laundered places them in a position in society above the law abiding citizenry and their social status makes it difficult for the arm of the law to reach them with ease.

If the government can tide over the question of black money, it could be argued that the sources of funds that sustain the underworld will dry up in time to come. That way, it would also be possible to stem one main source of slush funds with the help of which underworld kingpins have made puppets of powerful politicians.

For this to happen, tax officers will have to move in vigorously and abandon their hackneyed and banal methods. They will have to be given more teeth to pursue politicians and police officers and the new rich, who must be required to declare their assets from time to time.

Lapses on the part of big businesses and the public have also contributed to the current wave of crimes. In most of the instances reported in the press, it looks that adequate precautions had not been taken by the victims. A lone security guard armed with a shot gun at an isolated branch of a bank instead of dispiriting robbers is, in a way, an invitation extended to the criminals to whom overpowering him is nothing but child’s play. The much felt need therefore is to equip these places with wherewithal to dishearten criminals eyeing them.

Hi-tech alarm systems, better trained security personnel with proper equipment and weaponry deployment of policemen in civvies in locations with institutions prone to attacks are some of the measures that can be adopted to ward off crimes.

Above all, since it is all underworld characters that are behind these crimes, priority must be given to a countrywide crackdown on it. In reality this is a task that the police alone cannot accomplish. Politicians are sure to take umbrage when arrests are made of the criminals belonging to their party. It is imperative that the people hold politicians’ feet to the fire to enable the police to set about the task.