*Senior citizens are increasingly becoming vulnerable to attacks in
Bangalore**. Over 30 elderly people have been killed violently in the past
few years, and at least 70 cases of severe harassment and abuse of elders
come to light every month. Here's an article from the Times of India that
looks at the problem.*
*
*
*UVM*
*
*
(From the *Times of India*)
*TARGET: Senior Citizens *
*Increasing Number Of Elderly People Residing Alone Are More Vulnerable To
Criminals
*
*
*
*Vinay Madhav | TNN *
15 January 2009
Bangalore: Every now and then, when senior citizens are brutally murdered,
some routine noises are made about police measures for their safety. Sadly,
other than launching a helpline, little has been done.
The cry began in the early '90s, when R Ramalingam was city police
commissioner. After each such murder, successive police commissioners assure
the citizens that the safety of senior citizens will be ensured, only to
forget it once the issue cools down.
Ramalingam had mooted a strategy of coordination between senior citizens and
the jurisdictional police to ensure constant monitoring of their safety. As
per the plan, the police were to keep a record of senior citizens in their
respective areas, and stay in touch with them by calling up regularly and
even visiting them once a week. Let alone phone calls, the police do not
even have a record of the phone numbers in their jurisdiction. In 2001, the
police launched the senior citizen's helpline (dial 1090) on the lines with
Makkala Sahaya Vani. Presently, it works from the Shivajinagar bus stand.
More than addressing the security aspects, it has been designed to be a
counselling centre.
The office works from 8 am to 8 pm, and is handled by trained counsellors.
If a senior citizen complains of harassment by family members, neighbours or
relatives, the helpline registers a complaint, calls and warns the opposite
party. If the harassment continues, a police complaint is lodged. If there
are any calls about senior citizens being either harassed, ill-treated or
manhandled, the helpline rushes the nearest Hoysala or Cheetah patrol team
to the spot. But its role ends there.
*UGLY PAST
*
*Oct 2008: *Annapoorneshwari, 54, strangled to death in her house in
Basavanagudi. Murderer had used a mobile phone charger wire. Servant
arrested.
*April 2008: *Gangamma, 73, strangled in her house in Peenya II Stage.
Suspected murder for gain. Murderers still at large.
*March 2007: *Hasina, 51, murdered in her house in Mahadevapura. Police
arrested four persons, including two women.
*Sept 2006: *Lalitha, 66, found dead in her kitchen in Basaveshwarangar.
Murder for gain.
*Oct 2005: *Kallahalla Muniswamy and Muniyamma, aged around 65, found dead
near a farm in Ittasandra, near Nandagudi in Hoskote. Assailant, known to
them, had killed them during a drunken brawl. Later arrested.
* *
*POLICE VIEW
*
The police at the station level have their own version for failure of the
initiative. "Senior citizens, though staying alone and away from relatives,
are reluctant to associate themselves with the police. In the first place,
it is difficult to find out where senior citizens are staying alone. Even
when the police approach them near parks and other places, they hesitate to
register with us,'' said a police inspector. Security became a hot issue
around 1999, when the Dandupalya gang unleashed a bloody trail in the city.
Many of their victims were senior citizens staying alone. Barring this gang,
murders of senior citizens have been committed for gain, usually by someone
who knows the family very well and is trusted. In some cases, close
relatives were involved.
"That does not mean all senior citizens are reluctant to speak to the
police. Very few people come to us, but we ensure that any constable who
stays close by visits them occasionally and talks to them. We keep in touch
with such people too. But, the system is not streamlined or organised,'' he
added.
* 'TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS LOOK GOOD ON PAPER'
*
"The problem with such initiatives is ill-conceived ideas. Those who
initiate such programmes don't have an idea of their longterm operation. It
is a temporary solution to the problem, which looks good on paper. Those who
propose it aren't aware of inherent problems in operationalising such
programmes. Such initiatives should come from the bottom, not the top. If we
try to impose such things, supervision should be strong, but it will drain
the supervising officials. It should have a sound action plan.
"It is very difficult to control isolated crime, based on personal
animosity. Organised crime control is more practical. Murders of elderly
citizens is a phenomena of urban life which police find difficult to prevent
when the murders are committed by people close to them, like servants. These
are the people who live with them and gain their confidence. Sadly, old
people end upexposed to a terrible threat."
*- Gopal Hosur | JOINT COMMISSIONER (CRIME) *
EXPERTSPEAK Periodic checks are crucial
"Security does not necessarily mean just providing some guards or some
gadgets and depending on them. Even if you call the police, sometimes they
may take a while to come to the spot. All one needs is to check periodically
if everything is fine, especially where old people stay by themselves. We
recommend a combination of CCTV and alarm system with monitoring system for
such situations. Besides monitoring the people movement in and out of the
house, an alarm is sounded when a door in the house opens at an odd hour or
when the family is out of the house. We call to check if everything is OK.
We get the alarm in our control room and if we don't get a response, we
alert neighbours or people near them, so they can physically check the
situation.
"The device is cost-effective and installation costs around Rs 15,000. The
monitoring system charge is Rs 200 per month.
"If people can afford it, they can have either Digital Video Record (DVR) or
Internet Protocol-based CCTVs. The DVR stores video footage taken by CCTV
cameras. The IP-based CCTV helps relatives periodically monitor the
happenings in the house from any corner of the world.
"After the Mumbai attack, many offices are installing these gadgets but
homes are yet to go in for them in a big way. It may be 1% of customers,
mainly upper class ones. Most others don't realise they can afford it."
*- Maj. Murty | DIRECTOR, PROTECT
*
* BHARAT SECURITY SYSTEMS
*
*TAKE THESE PRECAUTIONS
*
- *Install security gadgets at home *
- *Be friendly with neighbours. If you enquire about their welfare, they
will enquire about your welfare and security .*
- *Be friendly with your beat constable. *
- *Don't allow strangers or new acquaintances into the house. They may
come on the pretext of inquiring about your welfare, or claim to be friends
of family. Ask them to come back when family members are at home. *
- *Don't keep valuables or large amounts of cash at home; safe to keep
them in a bank. *
- *While employing servants, ensure that they have proper references and
inform jurisdictional police station.*
- *When you go for a walk or on work, take somebody with you. Avoid going
out alone
*
*WIRED FOR SAFETY *
- *Burglar alarm system with 24/7 monitoring. *
- *Video door phone (video intercom.)*
- *Home automation: Comes with multi-room audio system, where one can
keep a watch on happenings in other rooms of the house, and remote-control
lights and curtains. *
- *CCTV: From single CCTV equipment to DVR & IP-based CCTV and mobile DVR
.*
- *ACCESS CONTROL: Enable doors with 'pin and card access' and 'biometric
access'; latter is usually used in offices.*
- *DOOR LOCKS: Other than traditional locks, fit doors with either
fingerprint locks or digital locks *
Subramony (Saami)
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