Editorial
The recent spurt in crime
They are portents of things more sinister
THERE is little question that crime is on the rise in the nation's capital. In these past few weeks, instances of murder have come upon us with a ferocity which boggles the mind. The killing of a middle-aged couple in Gulshan a few days ago by a young man enraged by their refusal to give their daughter in marriage to him is surely a new and macabre dimension to urban criminality. It was at once an act horrendous and unimaginable by its very nature. And before anyone was able to make any sense of the tragic episode comes news of the stabbing of a young woman and her parents in Kalabagan by a classmate of the woman because of his frustration at being rejected by another classmate.
These are portents of something rather more sinister that may be coming into the crime scene. Add to these the reports constantly filtering in from various parts of the country of the many ways in which crime is creating huge complications in the lives of families. Young women, quite a few in number, have been compelled to take their own lives because of the endless harassment they were subjected to by young wayward men. And, of course, there are the tales of school and college-going girls forced to stay home because of the sense of insecurity they feel once they are outside the home. A young woman, unable to accept the advances of a young man, rejects him and then is swiftly killed by him. There are also the incidents of men being found murdered inside shops ostensibly locked from outside. All these instances of crime come at a time when some in the police administration are trying to inform us that crime is under control or in any case is not anything to be unduly worried about. There are some clear truths that must be acknowledged by the administration. Foremost among these is the fact that the law enforcing bodies, notably the police and RAB, must gear up their activities and truly go for a policy of zero tolerance in handling crime. What is certainly disturbing about these crimes is that not only do they occur but that once the crimes are committed the law enforcers find it difficult to nab the killers. That is not the way an efficient crime tackling or crime busting organization works. All too often we have noticed the police getting rather active after a tragedy has taken place, through sealing off the place of occurrence and making a great show of catching a few suspects. And then everything loses steam.
It is imperative at this point that we go for a careful study of the social conditions that have led to a spurt in crimes. More important than that is the requirement for a full, purposeful and ruthless operation against criminals. It does not help that RAB and police personnel are seen moving around in the city and other places as a way of deterring crime. If they cannot keep track of criminals, if they fail to make life safe for citizens, what purpose can they really serve? We expect the law enforcers to produce results, and soon, in the investigations into the recent incidents of crime in Dhaka and elsewhere.
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