Even as the City police braces itself for its annual Crime Prevention Month starting from December 1, the People’s Legal Forum (PLF), a voluntary organisation, has called for vulnerability mapping of crime-prone youth to make the exercise more meaningful.
City Police Commissioner M.A. Saleem will be launching Crime Prevention Month at a programme outside Balarama Gate of Mysuru palace on Monday. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) A.N. Rajanna told The Hindu that police personnel will be assigned additional duties during the month to achieve the objective of bringing down crime rate during the month.
However, PLF convener Baburaj P. questioned the reasons behind the police restricting its efficiency only to one month of the calendar year. “If they can keep the crime rate down in December, why can’t they do it throughout the year?” he asked.
Instead, he said the police, along with NGOs, should identify the sections of the public most vulnerable to taking to crime on account of their socio-economic situation and provide necessary intervention.
He said PLF, Mysuru, which has trying to ensure justice to victims of human rights violations and to bring effective changes in the lives of marginalised and vulnerable communities, can help the police in such an endeavour.
“As part of our work, we have found that most criminals are in the age group of 17 to 21 years, are school drop-outs and invariably belong to poor economic background and socially-backward classes and castes,” Mr. Baburaj said. The police should take the assistance of NGOs to identify such groups and provide intervention if some meaningful effort is to be made in the direction of preventing crime. “Depending on the need, vocational training, career counselling, guidance for higher education and ethical and moral support should be provided to youth vulnerable to taking to crime.”
Mr. Rajanna claimed that the police, during crime prevention month, ensured that beat patrolling was scaled up in vulnerable areas and police personnel, who are routinely assigned for court duty and investigation, are given additional responsibility of being out on the streets to prevent crime. “Every year, we see a substantial reduction in crime during the month,” he said.
He brushed aside the allegations that the police was reluctant to book cases during December. “If a case is not booked in a police station, the public can approach higher officers, whose contact details are put in all police stations,” he said.
