NEWS media reported that snatchers are ruling the city roads in broad daylight and after dusk, though police in groups have a visible presence in most roads. The snatchers and organized criminals do not fear of the nearness of law enforcers and escape after snatching valuables suddenly. There is a reality that the snatchers are known and well-connected and the police are not ready to feel strong to put fear in the minds of the snatchers. Crimes have become more political than criminal.
Unemployment among the young ones is not taken as a responsibility by the government. So, the young ones also seek political connections to get their livelihood through safe crimes on the street or otherwise. It is undoubtedly ashamed for the police that criminals do not fear police. The police become unusually active after the crime and feel free to arrest indiscriminately to calm the general public. The police also get the advantage in the way that the court will not release them on bail for the truth to come out.
Sometimes, the snatchers also become violent. At least two people were killed and some others injured in the recent months. On January 26, housewife Helena Begum was run over by a car of snatchers as she fell under its wheels when muggers pulled her bag in Dhanmondi. The same day, muggers also stabbed a youth in Hazaribagh and took away Tk 20,000. An SSC examinee was also stabbed by snatchers on January 31 in Jatrabari. Even policemen are not safe from them. A gang killed an ASP of Highway police who was picked for mugging. Besides, two police officials were stabbed by muggers when they tried to catch members of a gang in Hazaribagh area in January. Most victims don’t file cases to avoid further trouble by way of retaliation. They prefer to remain silent because filing of the cases hardly brings any result.
The Police Headquarters’ database shows judgments in 213 cases in connection with mugging involving 589 accused delivered from January to September 2017. Only 88 accused were punished in 41 cases. It is to blame the court but we must also blame the police to act under pressure to show that criminals have been arrested.
The police must show professional integrity and courage not to rush to arrest people unless they have credible evidence. The court cannot punish anybody without evidence. The police are also not keen to prove cases in the court; they are satisfied to keep the arrested ones in jail without bail.
Our criminal justice system is thus safe for criminals and dangerous for the innocent ones.
