fake de-mugging scheme

Fake de-mugging scheme

Part 1. The traffic light turns red forcing scores of reluctant vehicles to come to a halt. The drivers look around uneasily. Suddenly there is a tap at the window. An angry furtive face supported by a 9 mm pistol demands your phone and wallet. You surrender. Not doing so could result in a small two liner obituary in the next days’ newspapers. Since January of this year, some 22,000 individuals have already experienced this trauma. Those paid out of tax payers’ money to protect the citizens, continue to behave as the personal servants of the politicians, and keep looking the other way. They neither hear nor see a crime.

Part 2. Citizens propose a ‘Get the Mugger’ scheme. Begin by identifying 10-20 most ‘mugged’ intersections. Install cameras to cover these locations. Place two armed policemen at each of these intersections in a manner that they have a full view of the location. The surveillance cameras at each intersection are closely monitored from a central control room. As soon as a mugging is observed, the control room informs the police on duty (if it has not already detected the crime) to use stun (or real) guns to disable and arrest the culprits. The camera evidence should be enough to prosecute the culprits. The cameras could be discreetly and randomly relocated on other potential mugging sites so that the muggers are never sure of what location is being actively monitored.

Part 3. Police (read personal servants) converts this simple and cost effective scheme to an opportunity for making money and fooling the public. It plans to sign an MoU with an NGO to establish kiosks at 60 locations. Each kiosk will cost up to Rs.5 million. That is Rs.300 million down the drain. In addition, at least 16 CCTV cameras will be installed, with two motorcycle squads of police that will perform their duty at each kiosk. That is another Rs. 200 million. The total amount of Rs. half a billion will have no impact on the street crime rate, will add to police vulnerability (sitting ducks in kiosks) and will make a few individuals very rich. If only our non-professional police knew the difference between discreet and demonstrative policing.
16 Aug 2015