M A I N   N E W S

Retired cops’ services in demand
From Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, Jan 9 — Rapid industrialisation in the twin cities of Gurgaon and Faridabad with the concomitant prosperity of a major section of the populace has given rise to the culture of employing private security agencies for personal security.

The recent kidnapping of industrialist Devender Chopra and his son Abhishek for ransom and their subsequent murder in Gurgaon has sent shock waves in various quarters, especially in trade and commerce circles. The development has given impetus in various circles to review the security network for themselves. A number of high-heeled sections of society in the two cities are reported to be making inquiries on the details of security agencies providing services.

The development is also considered to be a reflection on the effectiveness of the police and the apathy of the government to tighten law and order. For months the police authorities have been lamenting the acute shortage of manpower in Gurgaon district police and lack of logistics in districts of South Haryana. Many fail to understand the delay in replenish the police strength even when all concerned are convinced of the shortage.

According to reports, a number of industrialists and influential members are also contemplating hiring retired police personnel. The traditional approach in favour of retired military personnel appears to be giving way to inclination for retired police personnel, as revealed by inquiries from prospective clients. The predominant reason is that the police personnel by virtue of long stint of interface with the public can deal with emergencies. Hence, their acting as bodyguards would be much more rewarding.

Although the threat posed to security to life, both perceived and real, is generally considered to be the natural corollary of industrialisation and urbanisation all over the world, crimes like kidnapping for ransom and extortion of money have started in not only Gurgaon and Faridabad but in other parts of the state too faster than was expected. According to experts on jurisprudence and sociology, such crimes normally occur in advanced places, especially when society and urbanisation reach a saturation point in terms of advancement and prosperity. In Haryana, none of the cities can be categorised under “saturation grade”.

It may be recalled that more than a year back members of trade and commerce and medical professionals were taken aback with the kind of terror unleashed by criminals who made telephone calls asking for extortion money. The criminals had been asking for lakhs of rupees. Attempts were made on the lives of some persons, including prominent jewellers, who did not heed to the calls. This continued for about a couple of months with the police remaining clueless. Virtually, the entire city was on the streets in protest against the ineffectiveness of the police. Finding itself on the mat, it opted for a knee-jerk reaction, transferring the then Superintendent of Police.

According to reports, such calls for extortion occurred in other parts of the state after the spell in Gurgaon.

At a high-level meeting of chiefs of the police related to the state falling in the National Capital Region (NCR) convened by the Lt-Governor of Delhi a few months back, the representative from Haryana highlighted some new trends in crime like kidnapping for ransom and extortion of money in the state.