Deterioration in Law and Order Must Be Prevented

Crimes occur in the country almost every day, so the law and order situation cannot be called stable. Crime strikes somewhere in the country all the time. Some are social crimes, and some are killings where people beat others to death over small matters. A report in the English daily New Age yesterday said a man beat a 17 year old boy to death in Lalmonirhat after an argument over tribal people.

In Sherpur of Bogura, a lender was beating a man who could not pay the installment of a high interest loan. The man’s elder brother, aged 64, tried to stop the beating, and the attackers beat him to death. A report in the Daily Inqilab said that earlier this month, muggers slashed the wrist of a police inspector who worked at a circle office in Khulna city, and he was badly hurt. A few days ago in Cumilla, miscreants hacked a Jubo Dal leader to death while he was going to a local arbitration meeting.

A few days ago in Durgapur of Netrokona, miscreants shot a journalist dead. These events show that people have become less tolerant and miscreants have become reckless. Even members of the law enforcement agencies cannot escape the criminals. A report in the Daily Jugantor yesterday said teen gangs rule the capital, especially Uttara, which has become a hub for gangs. Police raids cannot control them. Cyber crime on social media has also grown so much that nobody is safe from it.

The nature of crime in the country keeps changing. Along with theft, robbery and mugging, cyber crime and many unwanted incidents are rising. People kill each other over small matters. Social scientists say some crime always happens in a society. But when it crosses a limit, it becomes a cause for worry. The recent decline in law and order has become a challenge for public safety.

After the change of government, the law enforcement agencies have still not fully regained their usual morale. Criminals use this chance to become more reckless. When a criminal escapes punishment under the cover of a powerful group, he commits crimes with double the energy. A bad political culture and the misuse of power are to blame for this. Another main reason for the rise in social crime is poor economic conditions.

Many people who struggle to meet basic needs turn to crime out of frustration. Some of them become addicted to drugs. Drugs are now so easy to get that they are available within arm’s reach. Drugs are the source of all crimes. The economy is in a very fragile state. Ordinary people live in deep hardship, and many can barely afford a meal. To cut costs, factories, businesses and corporate firms are laying off workers.

Many workers have lost jobs, and their families face a painful time. New jobless people join the existing ones and add more pressure on the economy. People are losing patience, and this negative effect pushes crime up. Teenagers also turn to crime because their families do not guide them. They form teen gangs with strange names and rule their neighborhoods. They commit almost every crime, including murder, rape, drug use, drug smuggling, extortion, mugging and robbery.

Some local people with political identity shelter these gangs and use them to spread their own control. Police arrest them, but they get out quickly and return to the same crimes. Law enforcement agencies and courts are active in stopping and punishing crime. But they are not enough to wipe out crime from society. Family and social customs, discipline, values, morals and religious teachings matter a great deal. When these weaken, crime grows in families and in society.

The present decline in law and order comes from the failure of law enforcement agencies, along with the fall of family, social and religious values. This has created intolerance. People feel less safe, and each incident spreads fear. These events spread on social media and raise worry among people. Foreigners see these events and think Bangladesh is unsafe. This makes investors doubtful and hesitant, and investment suffers.

To get out of this situation and improve law and order, law enforcement agencies must work with fresh energy. There is no other way. The country must also take strong, inspiring steps to raise awareness in families and society. The BNP came to power with two thirds of the seats, so it carries the most responsibility. The party has a strong base across the country. It should use this base to run campaigns that raise public awareness and help control crime.

The party should take special steps in each area to raise family and social values. Its members should stay free from crime themselves and run programs that inspire others to do the same. Alems, Ulama, Pirs, Mashayekh and mosque Imams should also give more sermons on family, social and religious values. The country must run awareness programs so that nobody takes the law into his own hands.

Law enforcement agencies must show no mercy to criminals. No matter how big a criminal is, they must not let him off because of his political identity or social position. They must treat a criminal as a criminal. The courts must make sure criminals are punished by law. The country must also take awareness steps to stop crime and the tendency to commit it.