Editorial
Burglaries on the up
Effective policing missing
Incidents of armed robbery at shopping malls and residences have been on a rise. We have heard of robberies intermittently taking place at ornament shops nocturnally but now it's happening in broad daylight. The latest at a city's posh commercial centre in Banani throws an open challenge to those involved in crime control. Only last week, a gang cleared all valuables from an apartment house on the eighth floor in the city.
The issue is of slack in law and order being mocked at by updated robbery versions. While most of the shopping complexes are glittering and full of merchandise those remain dangerously sloppy in security. Most of the entrances do not have security personnel. Anti-burglary logistics and prevention measures are also absent. In short, there are virtually no built-in methods to ward off robberies and thefts.
Broadly, many private organisations and housing complexes have engaged private security firms in meeting their safety needs. While they may serve some purpose but are still not enough to negotiate the machinations of today's robbery gangs.
Residential areas remain extremely susceptible. These lack adequate security or many do not have them at all. Break-in operations mostly happen in collusion with building security staff, which is why the need for laying down rules even for private security arrangements.
The most wanting is police patrol in market and residential areas. The lack of presence of law enforcers often gives leeway to criminals to go about their forays. The presence of police patrols in areas vulnerable to crime is badly compromised because a large number of policemen are engaged in VIP duties and political events.
While community policing is the part of the answer, round-the-clock vigil by well-armed patrol teams should be a priority, both in commercial and residential areas. For their part, market and housing authorities should also firm up their security arrangements with modern features.
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