FORUM Q: What can be done to tackle the rising crime in the country?  This is the fifth instalment of readers’ response

Crime is entirely the creation of society. The eroding traditional values, flux in economic and cultural trends, corruption and uncertainty in politics, bribery and an array of reasons contribute to the rise in crime. However, money and corruption are the most potent breeding grounds for crime. It is difficult to acknowledge that the solution lies within society.

The government needs to work out ways of distributing wealth more equitably. More money needs to be pressed into education and creating more opportunities for the poor. Parents need to drill the sense of responsibility into the new generation. Youngsters need to be told that society is their responsibility as well.

The young need to rediscover kindness, respect for others and tolerance. This may sound repetitive, but this is the only formula for peace and survival.

Unemployment, illiteracy and the vicious environment of corruption and nepotism, for which politicians and bureaucracy are responsible, are the major reasons for the increase in crime in India.

Lack of quality time spent by parents with their children due to excessive involvement in their own professions or affairs has seen the rise of a generation of spoilt brats for whom the law does not exist.

More job opportunities and promotion of self-employment schemes can bring down the level of crime. We should try at least to reduce corruption, if we can’t eradicate it. The government should remove disillusionment from the minds of the youth by giving them hope for a better life. This education has to start at the grass-root level. Let parents be less selfish and let police enforce the law more strictly, without fear or favour. Persons in the public life have to lead by example.

That system remains healthy where the energies of the youth are channelised for productive purposes. Corruption, nepotism, sycophancy, aggression, suppression, dominance, favouritism, exhibition of wealth and acts of terrorism are the main killers of the youth.

The erosion of moral values and moral education coupled with gross indiscipline among the youth is breeding criminals. Criminality has seeped down to our democratic institutions now. In villages, it is the feudal set up, and in cities, it’s economic disparity that breeds hatred and intolerance among the downtrodden, which leads to social upheavals and a rise in crime. Lust and greed have compelled the youth to follow the wrong ways.

Social and volunteer organisations should come forward to develop discipline among the youth. We should instill in them the confidence to tide over problems without resorting to crime. The number of jobs should be increased and stress should be laid on education and poverty .

The reasons for the rising crime are burgeoning population, high cost of living, unemployment, lust for amassing wealth quickly, greed for dowry and hunger for sex. If India is able to control the rising population and spread education among the masses, she can bring down her crime rate.

The increasing population has pushed up the cost of living. For one post, there are hundreds of applicants. Unabsorbed candidates continue to apply for more jobs, incurring mounting expenses on travel and postage etc. There comes a time when unsuccessful candidates, after long frustration, resort to the quick and the unlawful way of making money.

A few states in India have taken the steps for controlling overpopulation, but the Central Government should pass a Bill in Parliament to prevent couples from producing more than two children. Anybody not adhering to this rule should face strict punishment. Our education system should prepare students to be self-employed.

Prof ASHOK AGNIHOTRI
and GULSHAN KUMAR, Batala

India has been gradually reverting to the Dark Ages when crime was the order of the day and the only source of livelihood. The youth are disillusioned with the present system and the rise in crime is the sign of their revolt against it. The youth are disgusted with the political, economic, social and marital system of the country.

We could blame it on the new "work culture", where it is common to breach law to become rich overnight. The electronic media also influences the behaviour of the young. Look at the toy market; it’s flooded with guns and pistols; and the children would soon want to acquire the real ones. Taking stringent action against crime, which would mean tougher penalties for the guilty, is the only way we can discourage the youth from going corrupt and criminal. The role of teachers, parents and social reformers is now vital. The government should redress the genuine grievances of the youth.

The youth of today is frustrated with unemployment and pushing themselves into drugs. No crime is too big for a drug addict. To cope with the rising crime in the country, first of all unemployment should be reduced. Moreover, rigorous punishment should be awarded to criminals, but capital punishment should not be awarded. The sentences should be exemplary enough to put the fear of law in the minds of everyone.

For the suppression of crime to succeed, social, economic and political environments will have to be changed. A major factor that has contributed towards this increase in crime is abrupt migration of population from rural societies to urbanised jungles. The damage this has caused is that joint family system (basic institution for ingraining moral, ethical and spiritual values in individuals) has broken down.

We should create adequate avenues in the rural areas to check this human migration. Our education system should lay stress upon learning good values. We all have a social duty to curb the evil within than to look for it outside, in others. The individualistic approach to life is the price we are paying for the "so-called materialistic advancement" of today, and this is the root cause of crime in India.

The two main ingredients of crime are human being and society. Whether an individual takes to crime or not depends entirely upon the norms being laid by society. In India, the type and rate of crime differs from place to place, and time to time.

The crimes in Bihar are different crimes in Punjab. The crimes committed during the 1960s were different from the crimes committed during the 1990s.

The tackling of crime, thus, will vary accordingly. We can only address the two main ingredients, i.e., human being at the individual level and society as a whole. The first and foremost challenge for everyone is to control population explosion, which is the root cause of not only increase in crime but also of all other problems of India.

Lack of education (not academic, but social education), dearth of occupational avenues, falling social and moral values in the name of modernisation and technological advancement are other major factors responsible for the rise in crime.

An unmistakable sign of a decadent social order is the superficial approach of the thinking elite, who come up with quick-fix solutions for deep-rooted problems. Crime and corruption cannot be discussed separately. These are the visible signs of the endemic disease, which can be called stricken conscience syndrome.

Both crime and corruption owe their origin to the deadly virus of greed, to which men and women of poor conscience are easy prey. The difference is only of opportunity. Where greed can be satisfied without the use of force, we have corruption; where force has to be used, we have crime. Both are same, but it’s only where the law catches up with corruption that it becomes crime.

Reviving social conscience is a task daunting enough for an individual, but it’s even more difficult when an entire nation has to be united in this effort. Are we serious about hounding out evildoers from our midst? We should address this question to ourselves.

The youth have become directionless in the wake of shrinking job avenues. We’ll have to discipline the youth before it is too late. Moulding suitably the system of education can help us achieve this aim. Education should aim at making the individual intellectually enlightened, vocationally self-sufficient, socially efficient, morally strong and culturally refined and polished.

Drug addiction leads to crime, so there is an urgent need to stop the youth from falling prey to drugs. Accelerated population growth has also given rise to crime. Migrant labourers have given a new dimension to crime. Their antecedents should be thoroughly checked before they are permitted to work in any state. Their registration at police stations should be made mandatory.

A less corrupt police and a more responsible mass can play a significant role in eradicating crime. Bonded labour should be abolished and judicial system should be improved.

The rising crime reflects socio-economic imbalance, and even a plethora of legislations and elaborate police set-up are ineffective against the challenge. This failure can be squarely attributed to the unholy nexus between politicians and criminals. Our failure to dispense quick justice has emboldened criminals. It will take a strong national will to put a cap on this trend. The success of the Tihar jail experiment is a good example of how the nation can reshape the behaviour of persons who have taken to crime. Sensitising police, strengthening judicial system and extending legal support to victims, irrespective of their social status, will reduce crime. Fear of exemplary punishment commensurate with the gravity of crime will deter even the hardest of criminals from going the wrong way.

Crime is directly proportional to the amount of corruption in a country. When greed and passions surpass all limits, crime begins to crop up. A girl is killed because she does not respond to the lascivious overtures of a young man. A father is killed when he declines to part with his hard-earned money or declines to sell his ancestral land. Rapes have become common. Uncontrolled passions are the cause of all crimes.

It is a shame for India when hordes of prostitutes and bar dancers come out in the streets to protest against the ban on their lewd activities. No department ever cares to examine the disastrous effects of these immoral activities. Moral fibre of society is kicked and spurned at will.

A clean judiciary, an honest police force, a devoted politician, a dedicated officialdom alone can root out corruption and crime. Above all, we need teachers to make sure that students know what are morality and idealism.

Political polarisation of the police has much to do with the rising crime. Police needs to be de-politicised. A separate force should be raised for the security of politicians and other important persons. The basic educational qualification for entering the police force should be increased keeping in view the changing times.

Computerised multipurpose identification cards can go a long way in tackling crime. Fast-track courts should be set up to hear criminal cases on day-to-day basis to put fear of law in the minds of criminals. For minor crimes, there should be hefty fines, so that a person thinks twice before acting delinquent.

Overpopulation and ineffective administration are the root causes of the rising crime. By controlling population and by making the administration effective, we can lower crime rate. Family welfare programmes should be carried out in a planned manner, on war footing. The participation of women should be ensured in these programmes.

Gram Panchayats should be empowered to prepare confidential reports of all unscrupulous elements in villages and the local police can then be told to keep a close watch on their activities. The punishments should be harsher. A few criminals getting exemplary punishments will act as a warning to others.

To tackle crime, it is essential to let proper study and modern knowledge guide the police. The cops must be al least graduates in various disciplines and should have a good knowledge of spying and modern ways of tackling the criminal. The police force should toughen its admission criteria and basic training. It needs to have modern technology and modern equipment at hand to deliver the goods. The police should learn new methods of interrogation. If every person is interrogated strictly and seriously, then there is no question that any criminal can escape. Strictness and alertness must be essential for a policeman.