The Mapusa robbery is a wake-up call for the police department to pull up its socks
The pre-dawn dacoity in Mapusa has created a cloud of insecurity among the people of the state. The manner in which the crime was committed is something one cannot fathom in present-day Goa. The police department recently claimed that the crime rate is dropping, and yet here we have a crime in which a prominent doctor couple and other members of their family were held hostage for hours. They were tied up with bedsheets and gagged, and the keys to their cupboards and valuables were taken from them.
The chilling robbery is a poor reflection of the way Goa police works. As in the case of the dastardly attack on activist Rama Kankonkar and other such major crimes the state has seen, the police did manage to catch the culprits. In this case, too, they may succeed. As much as it is important to apprehend the culprits, it is equally important to create an environment that deters robbers, assailants and other criminals.
History-sheeters and even novices seem to have no fear of committing crimes as seen in recent cases. The Kankonkar case also showed that assailants can attack anyone in broad daylight. The manner in which the Mapusa burglary was executed –apparently with precision – shows that robbers, without using technology, can hoodwink police quite easily. They operate with a sense of impunity. No professional burglar will break into any house without getting proper information from their informers. It is important that the police, with the help of citizens, bring the informers under the radar.
The Mapusa robbery has sent shockwaves across the state and created a sense of fear, especially among the elderly, who fear being attacked more than being robbed. Goa has a higher percentage of elderly residents, many of whom live alone. The police have failed to crack the Dona Paula robbery case that occurred nearly six months ago. For victims, it is a traumatic experience, irrespective of their age.
The rich and upper-middle-class residents are more vulnerable than others. However, petty thieves have managed to break into the houses of others too. There has been a spate of robberies in recent times, and most of them have remained unresolved. Irrespective of the government’s assertions, it seems evident that the state of law and order is far from satisfactory. Over the years, to strengthen the force, the number of policemen has gone up – but has the quality improved? We have seen in the past that some members of the constabulary had either dubious backgrounds or were members of some political organisation. What better can we expect from them? Efforts to create a deterrent environment for potential robbers are inadequate.
In view of Mapusa’s terrifying burglary, there are demands from residents for heightened surveillance and increased night patrolling. Community participation is also required. There should be no corruption when it comes to placing orders for CCTV surveillance systems. The police, who appear efficient in investigating criminal cases, have a challenging task ahead. They will have to pull up their socks and reinvent their strategies to purge the society of robbers and other criminals. It is definitely not easy to do this overnight. The government must prioritise law and order while also overhauling security measures. There must be short-term and long-term policy formulation to tackle crime. The Mapusa robbery is definitely a wake-up call for the police department to adopt proactive measure to curb crimes.
