Vilar Viegas: Earlier cases were not highlighted. Nowadays the publicity creates a lot of hype. Also crime against women was not so much as today. With the inflow of immigrants, things have gone from bad to worse.
Gurudas Zuwarkar: We worked in the generation where there was huge discipline in the police force. Though we were less in number, we had better policing staff with us. The moment you loose the chain of command in police you lose everything. Today I feel the chain of command has gone bad. I feel that this is the reason why there is less control on crimes in Goa.
Appa Teli: Crime is bound to increase because there has been so much development. We have to also understand that there is a non-Goan population which is about 30% of the population. We also have the tourist population. Also Goa has a free environment. So the fear of police is not there like in other states.
Herald: Do you think the police have lost morale and interest in doing their job?
VV: Basically individuals should have some self-respect and dignity as well motivation to help the aggrieved party, which is absolutely lacking. Today self-survival has taken centre-stage. But than why do you join (the police)? A police job is not a bed of roses.
Herald: So you feel there is no commitment
VV: Exactly, there is no commitment
GZ: There is no commitment from government side too. If you don’t deal with hooligans immediately, then they get emboldened. For example, how a mafia becomes active? If one person slaps somebody else and there is no action against him, he feels he has got away.
Tomorrow, he goes and slaps two people. And it goes on. The police are supposed to bring such characters under control.
Herald: You said that if the police do not take action against culprits, he will be encouraged. Today we are seeing crimes against women. The policemen say that it is okay to settle the crime and file an NC. Does this not embolden the accused?
AT: The officer that attends to the aggrieved woman is supposed to be sensitive to her problem. And if he cannot handle it, he has to take the complainant to the senior level. But this is not happening.
Herald: There are allegations from many women that their complaints are not taken cognizance of.
AT: Sometimes what happens is that the cop who is on duty at that particular time just wants to dispose off the case.
GZ: If a man slaps a woman it is not necessarily an NC offence. Why does the police not take it as outraging the modesty of a lady and register a case? You see, the moment you register a case, a man gets discouraged.
GZ: If police registers an NC, it goes into the dairy. The copy goes to the SDPO the next day who is then supposed to go through the dairy. Then the SDPO can intervene and ask the PSI or PI why the case had been registered as NC. Now it is not happening possibly because the chain of command is missing.
Herald: Police need to be sensitized, trained to deal with the public especially women.
GZ: Police need to get themselves sensitized. Today, constables have at least 10th std qualification unlike constables during our time who were Std 2 dropouts. But today the policemen are scared.
AT: This has to do with the overall environment. Today the police foresee certain pitfalls.
GZ: A case coming to the police station is a case. It can be right or it can be wrong. In case it is false, there is B summary where the complainant can be sent to the court.
AT: There is interference in the police and then the Investigating Officer becomes a football.
