Social policing cuts crime
The first anniversary of the inhuman—and fatal—sexual assault of a college student in Delhi that became the trigger for a countrywide campaign to toughen punishment for sexual violence, was observed this week with much media commentary on the inaction of the government to make the lives of women safer and demonstrations around the country highlighting that. A big point raised by the media and the public was that the Parliament amended the law to make the definition of rape more stringent and approved a Nirbhaya Fund of Rs 1,000 cr in the budget to provide safety measures, but no money from that was utilised. The most telling comment was from Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar Monday: “..There was an uprising, a demand for doing something very effective for the security of women. The parliament session was on at the time and we passed a unanimous resolution. But in the last one year I do not think the situation has really changed. We need to implement this act at all levels, and the society must try, must rise and ensure safety of women.”
The government’s reaction to the remonstrations came from Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram who said three proposals from the home, road transport and highways and railway ministries drawing on the Nirbhaya Fund had been given in-principal approval. Home ministry has proposed integration of the police and mobile phone networks to trace and respond to distress calls in 157 cities in two phases at a cost of Rs 1,000 cr. The IT ministry will make mobile phone-makers have an SOS alert button on phones and older ones retrofitted with enabling software on free download. The roads ministry has proposed a Rs 1,700 cr scheme for public transport vehicles to install GPS, CCTVS and passenger information system in two years as requirement for a license. The railways is working on setting up an SOS alert system in trains, linking up all telephone service providers, he said.
The protests and the official reactions make it seem there is some lack of purpose or dithering at all levels, be it among officials or the society at large. If officialdom behaves as if it needs noisy reminders now and then, the public behaves as if all action must come from the government and blames lawmakers and lawkeepers. The key point that’s overlooked in this hullabaloo is that law and order and crime investigation is in the hands of the states, not a central authority. It is at the local police and local representatives that the demand for action be directed. The centre can do policy coordination, allot funds and even put some pressure all round, as Chidambaram’s response suggests. But real action at the grassroot level and monitoring its effectiveness, vests with state governments and the society. This is a reality that cannot be ignored.
Crime against women is especially heinous and it must be prevented because remedial action may be meaningless. Prevention is best by social action beginning from the very unit of society—the family—because every victim and criminal belongs to a home. Nurturing social attitudes starts at the home and preventive measures can be taken more effectively and humanely through social policing within the community rather than by men and women in uniform. It is very well to scream we have a right to live without fearing crime against our person and belongings. Do we leave our door unlatched? The primary responsibility of personal safety is with us. It’s more convincing if we act on prevention before complaining.
