November 25, 2014 – The Metrognome

Latest White Paper on law and order in Mumbai by Praja Foundation reveals huge spike in crime, low policing effort.

by the Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Maximum city is in the grip of maximum crime. And understaffed, under-motivated cops are adding to the problem.

A White Paper released by the city-based Praja Foundation today, November 25, confirms some extremely grim findings that most Mumbaikars had probably already suspected. Apart from crimes against women and children increasing, there is a serious lack of policing, the Paper finds. The survey was conducted with a sample size of 22,580 respondents in Mumbai for the period 2013-2014, across all strata of society, of which 32 per cent confessed that they did not feel safe in Mumbai any more. An astonishing 65 per cent of respondents confessed to witnessing a crime of the nature of an accident, theft, murder, or rape.

92 per cent of those charge-sheeted have got away scot free. Overall, the conviction rate remains at 22 per cent. Currently the city has a sanction of 41,643 personnel, but only 37,159 are working as of now, a shortfall of almost 11 per cent.

Among those who witnessed a crime, 44 per cent have faced a crime themselves.

Extremely serious realities

As per the White Paper:

– There is 47% increase in rape cases and 52% increase in molestation

– North Central Mumbai has highest rate of registered crime

– There is 8% conviction rate in Class II serious offences

– There has been a 66% rise in chain snatching cases

– There has been a 17% increase in cases of housebreaking

– There were 1854 accidental railway deaths in Mumbai

As per a press released issued today, Praja said, “Disturbing crime statistics reveal that Mumbai is in urgent need of change in the area of law enforcement. The city is fast becoming an extremely unsafe place to live in. Recently released reports by Praja suggest that a combination of low conviction rates and high levels of understaffing in the police force have resulted in the crumbling of law and order in Mumbai. Although conviction rates in Class II serious offences (cases involving bodily harm, murder, rape, grievous hurt, kidnapping, abduction etc.) improved slightly from 7 per cent in 2012 to 8 per cent in 2013, they are still very less. 92 per cent of those charge-sheeted have got away scot free. Overall, the conviction rate remains at 22 per cent. This is a low figure. To maintain law and order in the city, it is imperative that these figures rise. Low conviction rates lead to thriving crime and, consequently, an unsafe city.”

Nitai Mehta, Founder and Managing Trustee of Praja Foundation, said, “Crime has flourished all over the State’s capital, and we must question why there has been such a sharp rise, despite having a police force that is honour-bound to protect the citizens.” Perturbing figures have emerged for the North Mumbai (Borivali, Dahisar, Malad West) area, which recorded the highest number of chain snatching incidents (487 incidents, an increase of 84 per cent) in 2013-14. 44 per cent of the respondents find North Mumbai an unsafe area to live in. North Mumbai figures show that, since most of them called the police helpline numbers of 100/103 etc. (65 per cent), which are manned by a distressingly understaffed Control Room (deficit of 47 per cent personnel), many of the complaints failed to be registered appropriately.”

Milind Mhaske, Project Director of Praja, argued, “There is obviously an urgent need to upgrade and increase staff in the Control Room, so that cases get the attention they deserve and crime does not go unreported”. This can, perhaps, go to explain why there are high instances of crimes such as chain snatching and house breaking in Mumbai. Mhaske added, “In 2013-14, chain snatching has gone up by 66 per cent; theft, by 19 per cent, Rioting, by 8 per cent. These are the crimes that really affect people’s perception of the city. And that perception is that, currently, Mumbai is not the safe and secure place that it once was.”

On the whole, however, North Central Mumbai (Vile Parle, Kurla, Bandra) remains the area where registered crime is most rampant, with 734 cases of housebreaking, 1598 cases of theft and 819 cases of vehicle theft. Nitai Mehta said, “Understaffing and multiplicity of tasks in the Mumbai Police Force is compromising investigation and thereby leading to low conviction rates. A fully manned force will mean that the officers handling criminal cases will focus solely on these investigations, rather than being called on to man roadblocks and performing bandobast duties. Consequently, cases that make their way to the courts will be watertight and there will be an assurance that the guilty will be convicted”.

Currently the city has a sanction of 41,643 personnel, but only 37,159 are working as of now, a shortfall of almost 11 per cent. Due to the huge gap between sanctioned and available IOs (Investigating Officers), investigations have not been conducted in an organised manner. Mhaske contended, “A study of acquitted cases shows that the chief reason for acquittal has been ‘lack of evidence’. This, in turn, showcases the performance of the IO, the public prosecutor and the lack of coordination between the two.”

Summing up, Mehta said, “Priority must be given to training and staffing the police force so that it is strong enough to handle the crises a large and populated city like Mumbai throws at it. Issues related to crime and its curtailment must be a regular topic of deliberations. MLAs must be constantly engaged with the citizens as well as the police force to keep a diligent eye on the law and order situation in the city. Only then will Mumbai become a safe and peaceful city to live in”.

(Featured image courtesy www.thegoan.net. Picture is used for representational purpose only)

Understanding the FX Syndrome

Have you heard about the FX Syndrome? It is caused by a genetic mutation and it affects several young boys.

by Ritika Bhandari Parekh

Every new born baby’s face is searched diligently for signs of its mother or father’s features. It could have its mother’s eyes or its father’s nose. But apart from these obvious physical attributes, how can one know if the genes responsible for that baby are normal or have gone haywire?

One major impact of this can be the genetic condition known as the Fragile X syndrome (FXS). FXS is caused by a gene mutation in the FMR1 gene, at the time of conception. The FMR1 gene is important for producing proteins that help in our brain’s development.

As the FMR1 gene is found in the X chromosome, it usually affects young boys and results in mental impairment, learning and communication disabilities. FXS is also a major cause of autism in children. Luckily in India, there is an organisation called the FX Society which helps to support families fighting the FXS.

41-year old Shalini N Kedia, chairperson of the Indian FX Society, started the organisation 11 years ago because of a personal experience. She says, “I realised that there is very little information about FX in our country. I wanted to do something about this.” Despite no medical background, she decided to accomplish three tasks for society.

“Our main role is to support the families which are already diagnosed with FXS. We give them accurate information and explain the dos and don’ts when dealing with the child. Since it is a genetic disorder, not everyone is acquainted with the science,” she explains.

“One of our major accomplishments is that we are very well networked all over the country today. So if your child tests positive, they are referred to us. And with our team of gynaecologists and paediatricians, we explain how something goes missing in the brain,” she adds.

Accompanying Shalini in her mission is 37-year old Ami Mehta Kothari, secretary of the FX Society. A trained multi-sensory educator, Ami has 10 years of experience in teaching special needs children. Ami says, “Our society also educates professionals in the country, because many children are not diagnosed because of ignorance. So we try to have seminars and workshops in educating people. Our third major task is to give women information so that they can take an informed decision when they opt for another child.”

Since there is no particular cure for FXS, the problems can be improved with various treatments. These treatments consist of special education, speech and language therapy, as also occupational and physical therapy.

The Fragile X Society is present all over the world, with the maximum research being done in the US. They have created reading and writing programmes for special needs children. “We have all the international level programmes, facilities and therapies available in the country. Last year, we facilitated the opening of Ummeed, a child development centre at Lower Parel. Thus, we can claim that any child who is diagnosed will get the best facility and treatment,” says Shalini.

But the crux of the matter is creating awareness. “The rate at which the syndrome is growing, we are definitely looking forward to take professional help of a PR firm in helping us reach more people,” Ami adds.

So if you know any child in your neighbourhood who has attention problems or is undergoing delayed development, help them reach out to the FX Society in India. Alternatively if your parent or grandparent is having balance or tremor-related problems, ask your doctor about Fragile X testing.

For more details, log on to http://www.fragilex.in or call 022 666 42151/+91-98201 99092.

(Featured image courtesy www.babycenter.in. Image is used for representational purpose only)