Priority of police must be to prevent dangerous crimes

ALMOST all news outlets carried the story that said a band of armed robbers barged into a private bank, killing seven people in Ashulia industrial area on the outskirts of the capital on Tuesday afternoon. An angry mob later beat to death one of the robbers while they were fleeing with around Tk 35 lakh in broad daylight. The incident of robbery is seen by many as the symbol of a loss of confidence of the people on law enforcing agencies and the breakdown of the intelligence services that prompted the robber gang to be daring and bold. Instead of maintaining law and order, our partisan law enforcers are too eager to please their bosses by arresting political opponents while intelligence data about criminals are not maintained and they are seen protecting big party bosses from public wrath. In their exuberance or flattery they even abandon their professional standard and consciousness and seem guided by unlawful orders of political bosses or act on personal whims. While the politically recruited and motivated law enforcers are busy over monitoring opponent political activists to arrest them aiming at pleasing the party in power and conducting arrest business, organised gangs are coming up to conduct crime, including bank robberies in day light.
Newspaper reports said that at least 25 others-officials, clients and locals-were injured as the gang of 8-10 opened fire, hurled bombs and attacked them with sharp weapons during the heist and escaped. Five of the gang entered the bank’s Kathgora Bazar branch in two groups brandishing firearms, soon after the launch break. Once inside, they took 15 bank officials and clients hostage at gunpoint and asked everyone else to lie down on the floor. They killed the bank manager when he refused to give them keys to the vault. Hearing the gunshots, someone sought help using the loudspeaker of the mosque opposite the bank when several hundred locals rushed to the spot. The robbers, aged between 25 and 40, blasted several powerful bombs and crude bombs to create panic, as locals chased them. Some of the robbers fled on foot while others tried to escape on three motorbikes.
Police and Rapid Action Battalion members reached the spot about an hour after the incident. The industrial area is supposed to be a secured zone, but like on any other occasions police arrive in full strength after the dangerous crimes has been committed. The officers of police, RAB and other government forces will agree that they must be effective in preventing dangerous crimes. To be busy after the crimes were committed could be very misleading for criminals to know that they cannot escape being caught. The court cases are complicated, and to prove a case we do not need so many forces.
We are not giving much importance to asking the authorities to investigate the incident of daring robbery for the purpose of arresting and proceeding with the case. We know in conducting cases innocent persons are harassed and tortured for various reasons. Certainly there is the need for investigation to make police more efficient for prevention of dangerous crimes. The fact is, after all the powers the police enjoy, the truth is, crimes are freely committed and public wealth is being plundered.