The number of murders in the country has increased alarmingly.
According to the police headquarters, 2,911 murder cases were registered across the country in the first nine months of this year — an average of about 11 per day.
This means that this year has seen the highest number of murders per day in the past decade. The increase in crimes is not only murders, but also kidnappings, robberies, and political and non-political violence across the country.
According to statistics and analyses by various media outlets and human rights organizations, when crime level increased in the context of the last year’s July Mass Uprising, the government was heard to say that crime naturally increases after the uprising.
There is no way to deny this. At that time, the law enforcement agencies, especially the police, were under the wrath of the people. That is why their presence at the field level was not as strong. But the fact that this situation has not improved even after more than one and a half years passed since the July uprising.
Although the police or law enforcement agencies have been activated for official work, the interim government has not yet been able to fully activate them in combating crime at the field level. According to the Human Rights Culture Foundation, there have been at least 390 mob incidents in the country from August last year to August this year.
At least 192 people have lost their lives in these incidents; at least 376 more have been injured. A report by the human rights organization Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) states that 37 incidents of political violence occurred across the country in September alone.
On the other hand, according to DMP data, 168 murder cases were recorded in the capital between January and May. Of these, 102 were filed in non-political killings, which is 61 percent of the total murder cases in Dhaka. Another human rights organization Ain O Salish Kendra says, there were 330 rape cases from January to June of this year, of which 66 were gang rapes. Of these, 22 were rape-suicide cases.
The law enforcers must be more proactive at field level in controlling murders and other crimes through strategies like data-driven patrols, and addressing the root causes of violence before they occur. Public safety must be strengthened through rapid investigation and effective prosecution. As well, the law enforcement must be free from political influence.
