Hi, Recently I had occassion to be in Mumbai.The Mumbai Police are constantly on their toes thinking up novel and citizen friendly ways to PREVENT CRIME. One such method that grabbed my attention was the decision of an IPS officer in one of Mumbai's major Crime Zones between Ghatkopar and Mulund to install Steel Boxes at multiple locations near Schools, Colleges, Bus-stands,near Post-Offices and other innocous locations for people to report Crime or file ANONYMOUS complaints, or simply share information ANNOYMOUSLY of criminal activity. The measure is reported to have paid off MAGNIFICENTLY.. The rate of Crime has dropped in these areas.Local goons,toughies and other criminally inclined people are lying low.The Police on their part take each communication by the citizenry seriously and follow-up, investigate,file Criminal Cases, or simply ask the criminal /person likely to be in conflict of the law ,to visit the Police Station and in Police fashion COUNSEL the criminally inclined about the consequences of resorting to criminal activity. SIMPLE MEASURES, GREAT RESULTS, PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT. have proven to go a long way. Incidents of ragging,child & woman molestation,tenant harassment,petty extortion have significantly gone down. Could this simple measure be adopted by the Police in Goa?Or could not Goan civil society/NGOs nudge/encourage the Goa Police ? Could we have similar Boxes put up at Schools, Colleges and Bus-stands to begin with.? Would this measure help in reducing drug peddling, paedophilia,and Crime against Children, Women and Senior Citizens? Furthermore, it is reported that the Commissioner of Police Mr. Arup Patnaik, a tough,no-nonsense COP regularly summons the major-domos of Crime who are on Bail to his Office and tells them "TO KEEP YOUR NOSE CLEAN" Many such MAJOR-DOMOS of crime are reported to have got fits of shiverring and sweating on being PREVENTIVELY COUNSELLED by the Police Commissioner himsef. As usual despite its many FLAWS ,the spirit of Mumbai is refreshing. Could we do something akin in Goa? Regards, Gerry .
