Are the police serious about senior-citizen plan?
MUMBAI: Police commissioner Satya Pal Singh, along with state home minister R R Patil, was supposed to visit senior citizens on Wednesday. The plan was cancelled owing to the death of a senior NCP leader. While this has led to a question mark over the seriousness of the police's grandiose plans for the safety of senior citizens, a few Mumbaikars in their sunset years believe they are better off being by themselves and away from the eyes of cops. As for other citizens, they feel the visit was intended as a public relations stunt to deflect criticism from the recent murders of senior citizens in Mumbai.
Former IPS officer Y P Singh called the plan to visit senior citizens an "emotional" move. "It can boost the morale of citizens, but cannot protect senior citizens. The only way to create confidence among senior citizens is detecting cases and punishing culprits. Just by visiting some buildings, you are not going to increase confidence. The police will have to interact with private security agencies that take care of such buildings. Frequent meetings with a housing society's office bearers will help the police," said Singh.
A retired police officer said some people do not trust the police when it comes to security. "People who have had a bad experience with the police do not trust them."
An observer said the police commissioner should not have cancelled his visit. "There was no law and order problem in the city. The police need to be honest with their plans."
Several senior citizens expressed a lack of faith in the police. An 80-year-old woman said that when it comes to security, the police are simply not good enough. "I absolutely do not want to be registered with the police," said the Andheri resident, who stays alone in a one-bedroom flat. "I have heard stories from my friends who have registered themselves. They get police visits at odd times. When they are sleeping, a policeman will knock on the door. For my own security, I have installed a double door cum CCTV system. I can trust myself, not the police."
A 72-year-old man from Mulund said that often the police themselves inform criminals about houses that can be burgled easily. "The police have a list of those who stay alone. If they are friends with burglars, how are we supposed to trust them? Sometime ago, a neighbour's house was burgled. Though they had CCTV footage of the crime, the police did not nab the culprits."
Kersi Cawascama (61), who stays with his wife in a flat at Grant Road, said that they cannot totally rely on the local police. "The police anyway has a lot of work to do and we cannot expect them to look after senior citizens alone. The hotline idea, however, is good, as we can then contact the police and get through to them immediately."
Times ViewWednesday's non-event proves how much importance our protectors attach to your security, which is the biggest concern in Mumbai today. Does even a community policing scheme need the august presence of a minister to be launched? Do our ministers and cops need the presence of flashbulbs to start a scheme that is now a crying necessity? The number of well-intentioned schemes initiated by former regimes and now gathering dust lead us to suspect a similar fate for this scheme as well. But we'll be happy if we are proved wrong.
V.RAGHAVENDRA RAO,
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