Shashwat Mishra & Anushka Pathak, Mumbai Uncensored, 3rd January 2022:
Law and order in the city of Mumbai has seen a deteriorating sign in the span of the last two years. The said finding is based on the white paper released by Praja Foundation, a non-partisan organization working towards enabling accountable governance.
The report presents the state of policing and law and order in Mumbai. The report covers different aspects under the realm of policing and controlling law and order in the city. As far as the investigation of offenses is concerned the report suggests a high level of pendency in the investigation of offenses. This includes high pendency in the investigation of cases like crime against women (77%), children (80%), and SLL (special and local laws crimes) 77% as of 2020.
The next aspect of this report is the pendency of cases for forensic investigation. In 2019 55% of cases went for forensic investigation but this percentage dropped to 50% in the year 2020. There is also a huge gap in the investigation of IPC cases which is about 70%. These gaps in the investigation of IPC cases are alarming and need prompt cognizance from the police.
The current situation of law and order in Mumbai can also be attributed to the shortage of personnel in both, police and the judiciary. The data as of 31st July 2021 states the number of the sanctioned strength of police personnel was 51,255, of which only 41,396 are rendering their services, which suggests a shortage of 19% personnel. There is also a shortage of police officers involved in the investigation which accounts for 18% of the shortage in PSI posts.
Looking at the grim situation of law and order of the city, there is an immediate requirement for the implementation of police reforms to improve the current situation. Police Complaints Authority (PCA) was set up and is currently in its initial stage. However, PCA is not operational for the Konkan region, which consists of the Mumbai region. It became operational for Mumbai only in September 2021.
Another ancillary issue related to the shortage of police personnel is the fact that the officers who are involved in the investigation also have to perform law and order functions, which really affects the speed of investigation. There needs to be a separation between officers who carry out law and order functions and officers who conduct investigations. Furthermore, the State Security Commission (SSC) which lays down broad policy guidelines and also evaluates the overall performance of police personnel has also not been set up. The MLAs in the assembly need to make sure that deliberations on the issue of law and order happen and laws with respect to the same are passed in the assembly.
Mumbai city’s state of law and order needs dire attention, as per Praja Foundation. The report suggests a high level of pendency in the investigation of offenses. There is also a huge gap in the investigation of IPC cases. There is an immediate requirement for the implementation of police reforms to improve the current situation. The MLAs in the assembly need to make sure that deliberations on the issue of law and order happen and laws with respect to the same are passed in the assembly.
(Image used for representational purpose only.)
