Bangalore: With just one policemen to safeguard 1,000 Bangaloreans, the dismal ratio speaks volumes for the safety cover we have. With criminals striking at will, incidents of molestation, chain snatching, murder, rape, attacks on women have increased exponentially.
Though every government announces that it would recruit more policemen to strengthen the police force, no one talks about increasing the number of policemen sanctioned. Besides, they even fail to fill up the vacancies, making the situation more miserable.
According to Bureau of Police Research and Development, there should be at least one policeman to look after 568 people (176 policemen per lakh population). While, the United Nations recommends roughly 222 policemen per one lakh of population, which makes one policemen for 450 citizens.
Former DG & IGP S.T. Ramesh points that the national average of police-population ratio in India is about 145 policemen per one lakh population. Even Karnataka is on par with this number. “In some of the developed countries, the ratios are like 450 policemen for every lakh population. But here the condition is pathetic. In fact, we are already lagging behind in numbers. We need an increase in the number of policemen sanctioned. But here, even the vacancies are not being filled up properly,” Ramesh pointed.
Further, he said that it’s not only the numbers that matter, but the quality of policing. “How can we expect our policemen to work better, when they are not even given weekly offs or leaves. The available policemen are forced to do all sorts of work.
They have to man traffic, maintain law and order, tackle terrorism and naxalism, gather intelligence, prevent and detect crimes, take care of administration, etc. When this is the situation, how one can expect good policing,” Ramesh questions.
He blames that the low priority given to safety and security of citizens by the government for the present scenario, opining that there should be at least 200 policemen for one lakh population.
Next: ‘Banks are concerned with cutting costs’
‘Banks are concerned with cutting costs’
Crime incidents centered around ATMs are on the rise. The police maintain they are doing their best by increasing patrolling near ATMs, but they blame the bank authorities for not properly following their suggestions to increase security, leading to ghastly incidents.
Tuesday’s incident, where a woman was attacked inside an ATM kiosk has exposed how vulnerable the ATMs are. A senior police officer said the police had earlier held three meetings with bank authorities to discuss increasing ATM security and urged them to take several security steps.
“It included installations of CCTVs, deputing security guards and other things. Unfortunately, most of the banks did not pay heed to our advice. Their negligence has made everyone feel that ATMs are no more safe,” the officer said.
He also pointed that though some of them have installed CCTVs, they are not working in most of the ATMs. “The least, but the best, they could do is they could hire a security guard, so that the chances of any attacks will be very less. But, the banks are more concerned about cutting costs,” the officer added.
Further, he pointed that there is no system in any of the ATM kiosks that would alert the nearest police station if there is any theft attempt. “At least they could install a siren outside the centre which could alert passersby and neighbours if there is any robbery bid. It could at least deter the miscreants. None of such security measures are being followed by any of the banks,” the officer said.
A director of a leading security solutions firm also pointed that the banks were compromising on security matters. “In my experience, almost all nationalised banks give least priority for security systems. Private banks at least come forward to hire security guards for their ATMs, but not nationalised banks.
Though they recruit two guards for every ATM (on shift basis), it will cost them maximum Rs 20,000 per month. But they put human lives at stake by compromising on such matters,” he observed. He also said that some banks just hire guards aged above 50 years as they agree to work for less salary.
Meanwhile, s senior official of a nationalised bank said the bank would rather prefer to shut down a number of ATMs as people can use any ATM with any bank account. “One is that we will cut down on cost, the other the exercise of surveillance. All banks should practice putting up ATMs on need basis.”
Recent ATM cases
October 28
A 23-year-old security guard of a private bank in Marathalli on the Outer Ring Road was stabbed to death by two unidentified miscreants after he tried to overpower them while they were attempting to steal money from the ATM
June 18
In just five minutes, a gang of seven men took away an ATM machine which reportedly had Rs 25 lakh cash in it. The machine was installed at the ATM counter of the State Bank of India’s Dwarakanagar branch located on Bagalur main road in Bangalore North taluk.
June 21
A gang attempted to steal from an unguarded ATM belonging to the United Bank of India near Ambedkar college at Marathahalli in Jnanabharathi. The same day, an alert
security guard foiled an attempt to rob the State Bank of India’s ATM by a group of four in Vidyaranyapura.
