Why is this surge in crimes?

In recent times some dreadful crimes such as robbery, rent-seeking, mugging, and sexual assault against women and minor girls have been reported with chilling frequency. In Mithapukur, Rangpur, a fourth-grade student was raped while collecting flowers to pay tribute at the Shaheed Minar on 21st February. The following day, a young woman was gang-raped in a moving bus in Ashulia. In Dhaka, muggers and bands of other criminals now reign supreme, particularly at night, while gangs of teenagers roam the streets in a state of reckless bravado. Snatching and hijacking at gunpoint are taking place on a daily basis in the capital and on its outskirts. On Sunday night, a gold trader was shot and robbed of 200 bhoris of gold and Tk. one lakh in the capital's Banasree area. On the same night in the Dhanmondi area, muggers were captured on video hacking women on a rickshaw with sharp weapons and snatching their valuables. The video footage of these incidents spread rapidly across social media. Amidst the sharp decline in law and order in the country, the sense of insecurity among city dwellers has intensified. Everyone is aghast. Why this surge in brutality, why are such crimes being perpetrated almost every day? What has gone wrong? What ails society?

How alarming the slide in law and order has turned can be seen from police statistics, which show that 242 cases were filed nationwide in January, which is 69 per cent higher than   last year's record in the same month. In December, 230 cases were recorded an increase of 70 per cent from the previous year. Over the six-month period from August to January, a total of 1,145 cases were filed, marking a 50 per cent rise compared to the same period from August 2023 to January 2024. Obviously, the number of incidents that went unnoticed will overwhelm the statistics, as many such incidents go unreported as the victims often do not lodge complaints with police. Now, the pertinent question is - what are the members of the law enforcing agencies doing?

Laxity on the part of the law enforcing agencies has been blamed for this dangerous slide in law and order. What else can happen when law enforcing agencies are either unable or unenthusiastic about fighting crimes?

People have their own views. Some blame the police force's sluggish approach, others point fingers at the forces loyal to the ousted regime, while some criticise Home Adviser's inefficiency. Amidst all this, calls for the home adviser's resignation are growing louder.

In an attempt to defend himself, the adviser held a surpising "emergency press conference" at 3 a.m. on Sunday. Journalists and top law enforcement officials were summoned, and newsrooms were put on high alert at this unprecedented event. What he eventually said was nothing new. So, the question is - what prompted him to hold a press conference in the wee hours of the night only to repeat what he had been saying before?

As part of its ongoing "Operation Devil Hunt," which began on February 8, the government arrested 9,253 people as of Monday. Yet, crime continues unabated. It gives rise to a paramount question - who are the targets of this operation?

Criminal tendency grows out of the current social surroundings characterised by mobs running amok and creating anarchic situation. These acts of lawlessness are committed with complete impunity. It is no surprise that criminals are emboldened when the fundamental principles of law and order are disregarded.

Another obvious reason behind the latest surge in crimes is the widespread job loss resulting from political upheaval and economic downturn. Recent arrests have revealed that some ordinary citizens have turned into criminal gangs after losing employment due to political and industrial unrest. Furthermore, there is a worrying trend that known high-profile criminals are securing bail by claiming that they were jailed during the ousted AL regime in political consideration. According to media reports, at least 50 high-profile criminals and militants have walked out of jail on bail after the fall of Hasina-led government on August 5. Worse still, a significant number of weapons and massive quantities of ammunition that were looted from police custody during the August 5 upheaval have not been recovered. It is feared that the majority of the lost arms and ammunition have fallen into the hands of criminals.  Without apprehending the fugitives and miscreants, recovering the missing weapons, and addressing the root causes of escalating crime, simply denying the reality by saying that law and order has improved will be futile.

The rise in crimes is not just a question of safety and security in society; it has several other implications as well. Desperate activities of the criminals may not only wreak havoc on the lives of individuals but also impede growth of trade and commerce and even obstruct investment. It was not without reason that both foreign and local investments significantly went on a nosedive in recent months as crimes like extortion surged. To arrest the rising trend of crimes, the government should concentrate more on fighting crimes, targeting criminals regardless of their political affiliations, and taking decisive action to end mob rule. We live not in a bandit kingdom but in a modern polity with a revolutionary government in place. None should be allowed to make a mockery of the rule of law.

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