Capital crimes need attention – Hindustan Times

Sample this: On June 3, two unidentified bike-borne men fired at the car of a restaurant owner. Two days later, a 32-year-old man was stabbed outside his home in Neb Sarai when he was stopped by two men who got into an altercation with him. The next day, four men in a car molested two students from Jawaharlal Nehru University. On June 10, two salesmen were robbed of jewellery worth ₹1.2 crore by two men. A day later, a 38-year-old man was stabbed multiple times at a salon in Kishangarh in Vasant Kunj. On June 14, a man travelling in a car with his friend snatched a passerby’s phone and fired bullets when they were chased. On June 18, a 19-year-old Delhi University student was stabbed by a group of people in front of his girlfriend outside Aryabhatta College. The same day, two sisters were shot dead in front of their family and neighbours by a man. On June 22, a man was shot at in his car in Chittaranjan Park. And, in a brazen daylight crime on June 24, four men on two motorbikes robbed a car at gunpoint at 3.30 pm in the Pragati Maidan Tunnel that leads to India Gate, the heart of the city.

No major city in the world can be free of crime. And a spree in petty crimes often has underlying sociological reasons, usually tied to economic distress among low-income groups, stark inequality that sows resentment and fewer avenues to rise up the financial ladder. Yet, it must be the duty of the law enforcement machinery to ensure that the Capital remains as safe as possible for its residents and visitors, and that patrolling is sharp and effective. Authorities, whose zeal in recent years has given Delhi some of the highest numbers of surveillance cameras anywhere in the world, must use them more effectively to ward off crimes. Similarly, prosecution of these crimes must be done effectively and quickly, so as to ensure potential perpetrators fear the costs before breaking the law. The administration is within its rights to argue that aggregate numbers have not spiked, but they should remember that perception and appearance play a big part in people’s psyche of whether they see their city as safe. Public safety must not only be safeguarded but also be seen as being done so.