.......................................................................................Government

 Interview: 

Joint Commissioner of Police

Investors need not fear about Mumbai's crime rate says Shivanandan

The overall law and order situation has improved in the city over the last nine months. Investors need not have apprehensions regarding Mumbai's crime rate. The percentage of gangland killings, police encounter deaths and reported incidents of extortion, has dropped sharply, in 2000. The rate of serious incidence of crimes like extortion, murder and attempt to murder, has fallen by around 30 percent compared to last year.

Furthermore, compared to last year, the overall percentage of cases registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2000, has come down by around 35 percent. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) D Shivanandan disputes tall claims made in a recent analysis report, prepared by a leading national financial investment research agency, that foreign investors are shying away from investing in Mumbai because of the law and order situation.

"The fact that 58 gangsters were killed in 30 armed encounters with the police, while 83 were killed in 35 shootouts with the police in 1999, proves that members of organised criminal syndicates are on the run. This is an indicator that the number of hitmen and extortionists owing allegiance to organised criminal syndicates are dwindling. In the last 7 years, collectively 2597 criminals were arrested by the police. Out of the 2597 criminals arrested, 901 were members of Dawood Ibrahim's gang, 539 criminals were affiliated to Arun Gawli's criminal syndicate, 313 owed allegiance to Chhota Rajan gang, 384 were members of Amar Naik's criminal syndicate, 433 criminals belonged to other gangs and 27 were terrorists belonging to various subversive groups."

"In the last decade, there has even been a sharp drop in the number of criminals detained under preventive detention laws like the National Security Act (NSA) and Maharashtra Preventive Detention Act (MPDA). In 2000, 173 criminals were detained under MPDA, while 442 were detained under this act during the same period in 1999. In comparison to 1999, in 2000, the amount of seizure of automatic firearms, foreign make weapons and hand grenades has dropped by nearly 50 percent.

Shivanandan, believes that the situation is under control and investors need not fear that mafia syndicates are running a parallel government in Mumbai.

"I can assure every law abiding citizen of Mumbai that the mafia cannot hold the city to ransom. If these mafia syndicates dare raise their ugly head in the wake of Chhota Rajan's attack, the Mumbai Police has the medicine to terminate it. I would like to say that eliminating criminal activities is the also the duty of every resident of Mumbai and not only of the police. People should be alert and abide by the guidelines laid down by the police. If people do not adopt precautionary measures, why blame the policeman."

Shivanandan admits that white collar crime is on the rise and that this is a serious cause of concern for the police. Not only is the magnitude of this crime enormous, but even vicitims refrain from reporting these incidents to the police, for reasons best known to them. The percentage of white collar crimes like fake share certificates, real estate frauds, non-banking financial investment scams, is increasing with time. Even cyber crime, which is new to the police, is on the rise.

Further, an analysis of crime in the state for the first nine months of the current year revealed that there is an overall decrease in the incidents of crime under all heads except dacoities compared to the same period last year. Serious criminal offences such as murder, attempt to murder, and crime against women have gone down by 3,900 compared to last year.

Author's Name: Mani D'Mello
Photographer's name : Vinayak Prabhu