If you want the police to protect you, then do your bit

With the rise in the number of house burglary cases reported in Salcete across the jurisdictions of the four police stations of Margao, Colva, Maina-Curtorim and Cuncolim, the police have stepped up their efforts for tenant verification and checking the antecedents of tenants. 

It may be recalled that during a spate of robberies that occurred in Salcete, the district collector had called for an emergency meeting with the Margao DySP and police officials and it was agreed that a as part of a preventive measure, a tenant verification drive was crucial as the police had suspected that the culprits were living in the taluka at rented premises. Police teams to this effect have been formed to improve detection rate of cases of thefts, house breaking and dacoity. 

Incidentally village panchayats like Sao Jose De Areal, Chandor, Varca, Navelim, Dramapur and Ambelim had already initiated the process to carry out tenant verification. 

Several of these panchayats had passed resolutions wherein the landlord had to pay one month’s rent as tax as part of the tenant verification process. Panchayat officials pointed out that this tax factor has turned out to be a reason why many landlords have bypassed the process of tenant verification along with the fact of doing away with the responsibility of submitting the tenant’s documents to the panchayat or police.

 There have been recent cases where the landlord has been questioned when their tenant has been found to be involved in criminal acts and there is also this fear psychosis that there could be putting themselves at risk so they avoid the tenant verification process altogether. 

Margao DySP Dhinraj Govekar asserted that it was absolutely important for landlords to come forward and submit details of their tenants as this was in the interest of providing security to the people. 

Dhinraj added that it is a continuous process and explained that in many cases they meet the landlords once a year as the lease agreements are usually for a period of one year. In the cases where migrants stay at lodges or at cheap guest houses for a small period of time, he added that the these establishment owners have been advised copies of identity cards of the visitors even after they check out.

He added that the police have prepared a data bank on the migrant labourers, to cross check their identity and those of the visitors residing in their jurisdiction as a precautionary measure. 

However police sources say that the real worry is near the industrial estates of Nessai, Cuncolim and Verna as well as commercial establishments along the tourist belt where Most of the migrants do not follow mandatory procedures of getting tenant verification done as mandated by law while taking up places on rent. 

In the cases, police have advised the proprietors of these establishments to submit details of their staff members if they are from outside Goa to the police. 

Police sources added that many of the criminals roam in the guise of labour workers while taking a place on rent and the move away without informing the landlords who in turn should also inform the police so that a check can be kept if the same person takes up accommodation at a different place or at a different period of time.