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Social Obligation in Crime Control

Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, BPM
Almost two centuries ago, the founder of modern police Sir Robert Peel, when he was the Home Secretary of UK, established the Metropolitan Police Force. One his nine principles says that the effectiveness of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon the public approval and cooperation of police actions. Without the public support and participation, law and order can never be implemented successfully. He said "The police are the public and the public are the police". There is no way to segregate the police force from the society in the Peelian Principles' statements. The summery stands here; police cannot maintain the law and order situation alone. Social responsibility here is undeniable.
The expected outcome of the activities by the police force in keeping law and order in grip will be negative if the responsibility is bome by the police alone. Asides, there are certain negative factors which are not only out of their reach but also can victimize the police force at ease. Such as corruption: a national problem for many nations. The dark cloud of corruption, a biproduct of the open market economy has infected many developed and developing countries of the world. A brief look towards our neighboring countries will apprehend the fact. It is a fact that corruption is the breeding ground of crime. Aside, if the population in our country is not controlled, scarcity of usable land will be a nightmare in the near future. While large area of acquired land is mandatory in industrial and socio-economic development, cultivatable land too is inevitable for food security. With the rise of socio-economic development, increasing demand for land to erect houses, markets, entertainment, airports, ports, Garage, farm houses, playgrounds, hotel-restaurants is non ending. 80-85 percent of our female population is still living indoor restrained with household activities. The economic growth will pull these women out of their indoor lives to join the outdoor workforce will increase the demand for more space. It is uncertain whether Bangladesh could afford that stress. Malice and impatience resulting from dire competition for survival could increase crime rate or propensity to do crime. Land dispute and land robbery has increased to an alarming extent which is almost out of control of our police force due to various factors.
In general, police strives to keep control on some predictable crimes like theft, robbery, riots and murder etc. Beside these, there are many crimes that evolve from transforming social situations which police alone can never control. Such as use of drugs and its expanding market. It is impossible to control this disaster without active participation of the general public along with the police force. Drug is chewing off the body and souls of a large portion of our society; rich or poor. With the days passing, the production process or marketing of these venomous items are changing with an increase in consumption. Awareness is the main remedy for it's control. Awareness can never be developed without proper publicizing. It can only be controlled if strong surveillance is present within the family and the educational institutions. It looks like that society expects the law enforcement agencies alone to eliminate this monster which as a matter of fact keeps the dilemma as it is.
Wrong-routed kids are on an increase in the society. A part of the young generation is wild with drugs or sex drives. They usually sleep by the day and relish the night. These new quandary are being carried in by the development itself. People have to sail off beyond the country for the cause of living. He has to stay away from his family during his youthful stage of life. This painful expatriation has lead to many humanitarian crises. The police do not have any effective remedy for these problems. Crimes like domestic violence, abuse and oppression of women and deprival of female children, human trafficking, selling of human organs or abduction on the purpose of prostitution has been sustaining for long in this society. Along with the modern equipments and technologies, came the social viruses which can only be eliminated by the family and social antivirus.
Different factors like economic development, urbanization, educational expansion, tremendous advancement in communication, average extension of human life etc have changed our life cycle a lot. Complicacy and crisis of life have boosted at the same time. People are always upset and crisis is leading a large part of the society towards crime. That is why awareness against crime and measures of prevention is being practiced around the world these days. In the developed or developing countries national crime prevention strategies are being introduced and implemented rather than depending on the Police force alone. The police departments are cooping with more people oriented attitude and social awareness. Campaign has been started to establish the schools as a platform to work against crime. So, the next generation could grow up learning to hate crime and they can prevent others from committing crime. In our country too, a portion of the students indulge themselves practicing petty crime induced by the organized crime syndicate and become real criminal with time. Thus the era of anti social and drug addicted generation is emerged. Therefore, the schools should be the centre of prevention of crime.
The local government can take effective steps towards prevention of crime. The role of the Municipal Corporation or Upazilla/Union Parishad in our country could be very important and effective. The weak part of the population will considerably be spared of pain and sufferings if the elected leaders act against crime. But the attitude and practice of the controlling authorities of the local governments does not seem to conform to the expectations. The two or three stage local government can save the weak from evil deeds of the miscreants and save them from misery and deprival by creating a safe circle for sure.
It is possible to use various social bodies or institutions for prevention of crime legally and rationally if there is a relevant national policy. Different social organizations like clubs, cultural institutions, entertainment entities or service oriented bodies can establish substantial prevention against transnational organized crime or insurgency through religious hindrance or human trafficking. They can easily identify the social viruses responsible for these social bottle neck and plan and suggest or entail certain activities where police force could be engaged as per demand.
The importance of private sector is infinite in a open market economy. This sector rules the economy with plenty of might these days. By possessing money, wealth, connection and aristocracy; this sector is appended to the bureaucratic operations of the state. This sector could be brought under certain policy or law to get involved in preventing or curbing social crime as a part of corporate social responsibility.
The Print and the Media has powerful influence on prevention of crime. The media can successfully create a public opinion on certain issues or ignite them against something. The media is capable of creating panic over a crime within the public in minutes or make them act against it in no time. The society could be free of most of the crimes by creating mass awareness among the public against it. It is been observed that police operations, if supported by the media, is widely appreciated by the public as well. On the other hand, yellow journalism helps to increase crime.
There are many NGO's all around Bangladesh. As they are involved in service oriented activities, they are always concerned about their establishment. If their network is controlled by government policy, they could be of great help in prevention of crime. A great many numbers of social crimes especially as women abuse, domestic violence, inter village arbitration and clash could be prevented by involving NGO's thus reducing the expenses of court along with emphasizing education, health concern, cottage industry and social ethical values.
The English rulers established a constabulary police system in the commonwealth countries. The English Kingship set up a sword (militaristic) culture followed by suppression and restraint for their own interest from Canada to Australia whereas they kept their own country out of it. The system established a bureaucratic control over the public rather than establishing the watchdog over the police force by the public. So the police became a tool for abusing the public by the authority rather than a public servant to be controlled by the public. This type of police system never brings the police public on a participatory platform thus demising the law and order situation. With the development of mankind, everywhere like Ireland or South Africa, USA or Australia, the radical reform has been taken place in the policing system. They introduced people friendly, more women responsive participatory policing approach where public supervision has also been ensured. Police operations, temporary or permanent, should take place on the basis of situation, problem and the need of the community in question. That is why local social structure based crime prevention strategies are considered thriving around the world.
The system of public police partnership in human society is referred to Community Police in short. Though there are other police partnership systems as well. In the early eighties of the last century people like Herman Goldstein, Robert Trojanowicz, Bonnie Bucqueroux etc brought the idea of community policing to resolve crime situations in the United States. In this system priorities had been given on solving the issues like social discipline, settlement of arbitrations, local problems and miscellaneous service with community involvement other than general police works alone. The Community Policing comprises of the elements already been discussed. Within this community, the six factors, the police themselves, general public, the elected members of the community, business society plus institutions like NGO, civil society, religious or service based entities and lastly the media can improve law and order situation to a great extant by planning, sharing ideas and launching services within themselves. It is not only effective in American society; the whole world is enjoying the benefits of the system.
The guards that are usually deployed in marketplaces of our country are actually not community policing. Community policing is a vast idea and it is rooted deep into the veins of a society. The dictum of this community policing system is voluntary participation of willing citizens in the process of elimination of social crime and demises. Here, police needs to be public friendly and diverse. Turning a colonized police system into a public friendly entity is not easy. It is hard to revolutionize the police culture that had been contaminated for the last hundred years. A complete new policing system befitting of independent nation is required to turn police proactive and community oriented. Political or state endorsed policy direction can only pave the way of expected pace of change.
Prevention and controlling of crime cannot be accomplished by the police alone. The crime scientists believe that the society has to come forward with zeal in this anti crime movement too. In a country with lot of difficulties like us the community policing have a plenty of scope to work with in the crime prevention activities. A system like this, points towards service and care rather than force and suppressing. To move towards police service from police force we need to establish police system accountable directly to the public. To accomplish that goal the total department needs complete radical reform. The police are psychologically prepared to accept that change. We just need some sincere political navigation.
Writer: Additional IGR CID and National Project Director, Police Reform Programme.