Despite extra efforts by cops, crime in Mumbai's posh areas on a rise

The efforts of the policemen in all the eight police stations in zone 9 to curb crime seem to have been in vain.

In the last four months, the crime rate in zone 9, which includes the posh areas of Bandra, Khar, Santa Cruz and Vile Parle, has been steadily increasing every month.

In July, 275 crimes — mostly chain-snatching, thefts and house break-ins — were registered with the eight police stations in zone 9. In August, the number rose to 278, in September to 306 and touched 334 in October.

The Mumbai police had devised three concepts to fight crime: The One Criminal One Cop, Eye and Ear and Society Cop. And, deputy commissioner of police, zone 9, Pratap Dighavkar implemented them in his zone.

But, Dighavkar insists that all is well. “All the initiatives are helping us in decreasing the overall crime rate. Before I joined the area and these initiatives were undertaken, the crime rate in the zone was much higher,” Dighavkar maintained.

Under the Eye and Ear initiative, street vendors, including fruit and vegetable sellers, laundry men, paper stall owners and shoeshine boys, were trained to keep an eye on suspicious behaviour in their surroundings.

Only those vendors who had been working at crucial junctions for at least 10 years were roped in.

They were instructed to keep surveillance tapes of societies and maintain a record of staff — watchmen, servants, cleaners — in the area.

Under the Society Cop initiative, each constable in the zone was allotted 10 buildings and he was responsible for security at these societies.

The constable was to interact with the representatives and security guards of these buildings almost every day.

Under the One Cop One Criminal concept, each policeman had to keep tabs on the daily activities of a history-sheeter who is assigned to him.