Role of Government in Preventing Crimes and Lowering Crime Rates in India

Effective Strategies for Crime Prevention and Community Safety

by Dr. Aradhana Parmar*,

- Published in Journal of Advances and Scholarly Researches in Allied Education, E-ISSN: 2230-7540

Volume 13, Issue No. 1, Apr 2017, Pages 1422 - 1427 (6)

Published by: Ignited Minds Journals


ABSTRACT

To solve ever-changing crimes, law enforcement organisations must be adaptable. In the field of criminal data analysis, data analytics has shown to be an effective deterrent. This strategy has benefited a number of nations, including the United States of America. The Indian government has also made steps to adopt data analytics in order to help in crime prevention. We utilised R Studio to undertake data analysis on the crime dataset supplied by the Police Department in this article. Every country strives to improve the quality of life for its residents by ensuring the safety and security. India‟s recommendations on crime prevention integrate and expand on years of experience and trials in dealing with these issues. Using realistic, tangible ways that are considerably different from, and less expensive than, repressive and deterrent attitudes and responses, governments may establish safer communities.

KEYWORD

role of government, preventing crimes, lowering crime rates, India, law enforcement organizations, criminal data analysis, data analytics, United States of America, Indian government, data analysis, crime dataset, Police Department, quality of life, safety and security, recommendations, crime prevention, safer communities

1. INTRODUCTION

A crime is an illegal/unlawful conduct that is penalized by the state or another authority. A crime, according to Blackstone, is an act performed or neglected in violation of a public law prohibiting or requiring it. Despite the fact that legislative definitions have been provided for specific reasons, the word 'crime' does not have any fundamental and widely accepted meaning in modern criminal law. Criminals may be educated or illiterate, affluent or impoverished in depressed and poverty-stricken situations, and they can work in a variety of vocations such as white-collar jobs, blue collar jobs, minority employment such as manual labour, or they can be jobless. Family backgrounds, religious groupings, ethnicity, caste, gender, socio-cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds all influence them. Individuals that participate in illegal and violent activities are most often from disenfranchised, underprivileged, and marginalised sections of society; they are often undereducated and work in minority occupations. The prevalence of crime is common in all civilizations, whether rural or urban. Many individuals have noted that a society free of crimes and criminals may be a utopia. India's crime rate has risen dramatically in recent years, with the capital at the epicentre of the disorder. According to the National Crime Bureau's 2019 report, New Delhi has the highest crime rate, with 1049 crimes per 100,000 people. The total number of First Information Reports/Complaints recorded throughout the nation was 2.39 crores between 2016 and 2018. These data show that there are a lot of illicit activities going on in the nation, which makes us wonder what role the government and other state institutions are playing in preventing them. One party may argue that the greatest method to prevent criminal events is to simply impose harsh penalties on offenders, as these penalties will operate as a deterrent and instil dread in the minds of criminals before they commit an offence. If one takes a closer look at the numerous laws that penalise criminal activity (Indian Penal Code, 1860, and special enactments), it is evident that we already have strong penalties in place for the conduct of serious crimes, so why is crime still so prevalent in our society? Other groups may agree that we need a faster judicial system and to clear the backlog of cases so that justice may be delivered in a timely and efficient manner. It's worth remembering that the perpetrators in the Nirbhaya case were not sentenced for over eight years. Our judicial system is based on the idea that an accused person is innocent unless proved guilty. Even though the offender is found guilty by the court, he or she has the right to appeal, revision, review, curative petition, and mercy petition (as per the nature of offence). Our judicial system seems to recognise and defend a huge number of rights, which is the primary reason why justice takes years and years to be rendered. As a result, criminals believe that no one will hold them responsible and that they may simply escape the chains of justice.

projects led by nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) such as Women in Cities International in Montreal, Red Mujer Y Habitat in Latin America, and Jagori in Delhi, as well as UN Habitat, the World Bank, and (WHO). UN Women established a worldwide campaign on safe cities for women and girls in 2010, based in part on those groups' efforts. UNODC has proved in a series of regional studies that secure cities and communities are critical for a country's social and economic development (UNODC 2005) Technology has two sides to it. Technology has been used by criminals for a variety of damaging reasons. Preventative strategies are crucial in the fight against crime. This necessitates the development of sophisticated crime analysis techniques to assist law enforcement authorities in the prevention of crime. One of the issues that police agencies confront is minimising societal dangers by reviewing vast amounts of data. The Indian government has also made steps to adopt data analytics in order to facilitate crime prevention efforts.

Fig.1.

Crime is a part of life in today's society. Crime is linked to the basic essence of the human mind, according to criminology and penology article. In contemporary society, however, it is essential to punish individuals who commit horrific crimes since they infringe on the rights of others and, as a result, depart from their own responsibilities. The prevention of crimes is critical to the preservation of each It's critical to analysis the origin and consequence of the force one is attempting to avoid. While the consequences of crime might vary from minor harm to the violation of a legal right to death, the reasons can be complex and multi-layered. Here, a multi-faceted perspective to crime is discussed, first in general terms and then with regard to domestic abuse as a crime. Victims of crime are more likely to be minorities and people who are viewed as weak in society. As a result, it is critical to analyse their potential involvement in crime prevention by determining if they are, in fact, victims of certain crimes and whether there is sufficient law in place to protect their rights as the most vulnerable victims of crime. What we need right now are little steps and efforts from the government and concerned state authorities to assist us curb criminal activity throughout the country. Many individuals have stated that preventing crime at the community level should include youth employment, job development, more recreational activities, and increasing a feeling of togetherness. As a result, due of the subjectivity involved in its conduct and purpose, it is reasonable to assume that the word crime cannot be defined. As a result, jurists today believe that defining Criminality rather than Crime itself would be a better way to address this issue.

2. SOME OF THE MAJOR CRIMES IN INDIA

According to a data released by the National Crime Records Bureau, crime rates for petty offences such as burglary have decreased by 79.84 percent, but big offences such as murder have climbed by 7.39 percent. Kidnappings have grown by 47.80%, while robberies have decreased by 28.85%.According to a survey published by the NCRB in 2012, Uttar Pradesh has the highest crime rate among Indian states, while Nagaland has the lowest rate. Uttar Pradesh has a lower crime rate under the IPC in 2016, but its total crime rate is 10 times that of its IPC crime rate due to the vast number of offences. The following is a list of frequent crimes in our Indian society. 1. RAPE - Rape is one of the most prevalent crimes against women in India. Between 1990 and 2008, the number of rape cases in India more than quadrupled, according to official figures. Gujarat was named the state with the lowest rape rate in a 2012 survey by the National Crime Records Bureau, while Mizoram had the highest rape rate. Afghanistan, and Iran) and the Golden Triangle (Burma, Thailand, and Laos), it is a major crossroads for drug trafficking. According to international sources, India is the world's greatest opium grower. According to a study from the Ministry of Social Justice and AIIMS, Mumbai is India's drug distribution hub. According to a Narcotics Control Bureau assessment, India has at least four million drug users who mostly consume psychedelic compounds such as cannabis, hash, opium, and heroin, demonstrating the spread of drugs in India. 3. Corruption - Corruption is pervasive in India, affecting people from all walks of life. Bribes, tax and exchange control evasion, embezzlement, and other forms of corruption are common in India. These are only a few of the most serious crimes that exist in our nation. Homicides, Dowry Deaths, Extortion, and other crimes, according to the number of instances, are having a widespread influence on our society, resulting in the social figment's dilapidation.

3. CRIME PREVENTION- LAWS IN INDIA

The goal of criminology article is to figure out why individuals commit crimes in the first place. It is assumed that as humans and civilization advance, so will crime. Punishment is possibly the earliest kind of a judicial system, since crime is as ancient as man. Perhaps such punishment was meted out as an eye for an eye, a life for a life—first man's ways of punishing a criminal—but civilization has developed much since then, and a system has been formed to bring offenders to justice in civilised society. Indeed, attempts to restrict so-called "bad conduct" may be traced back to the ancient Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, which was written some 3700 years ago. The Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Criminal Procedure Code, 1974, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 are considered the main blueprints that govern the executive and judiciary in India in capturing, holding, trying, and punishing offenders. These laws are complemented by others such as the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redress) Act of 2013, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005, and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015, among others. These legislation were created to target each specific criminal conduct and to reinforce the actions taken against it in order to reduce the incidence of these crimes after it was shown that a physical act, or actus A cursory examination of this setup invites the observer to consider the fact that India has enacted a staggering number of similar legislation. India clearly does not have a problem with a lack of laws and statutes. However, the quality of these laws, their restricted reach, ambiguity within them, and inconsistency with the habits and mindsets of all social strata are serious flaws in this regard. For example, minority women are misusing the domestic violence legislation to harass their in-laws, while actual victims are unable to access the law and its applications owing to economic and social restraints. The rule against sexual harassment at work only applies to males harassing women, and it ignores the idea that a woman would harass a man, or a man might harass another man, or a woman might harass another woman, or a transgender person might be harassed at work. Returning to criminology and examining the causes of crime is critical in order to determine the best technique for preventing it. "Poverty is the father of revolt and crime," declared renowned scholar Aristotle in his books. The similarities drawn between the 2012 Delhi Gang-Rape Case and the 2019 Hyderabad Vet Rape Case demonstrate the same: the perpetrators of both ostensibly identical crimes came from low-income families and had struggled with poverty their whole lives. The perpetrators of such horrible atrocities seem unconcerned about legal repercussions. This is evidence of our judicial system's inability to bring criminals to justice, which is another source of crime. Increased rates of crime and alcohol and drug misuse may be traced back to a lack of education and work.

Fig.2. Different techniques to preventing crime

In most countries, government intervention programmes for crime prevention are developed under the umbrella of a National Crime Prevention Policy. The policy calls for the formation of committees at the national, state, and district levels to help in the implementation of such programmes. In most nations, government programmes target all levels of institutional settings, including schools, families, communities, regions, labour markets, and the criminal justice system. The majority of government crime prevention programmes fall into one of the following categories: 4.1 Developmental Crime Prevention programmes

Developmental crime prevention aims to make social and/or economic changes in people, groups, and locations in order to counteract the pressures that encourage criminal activity. Programs like 'Weed and Seed' in the United States, gang prevention and intervention, school-based gang prevention curricula, job creation, and skill development programmes all attempt to improve socio-economic circumstances and, as a result, operate as long-term crime prevention tools.

4.2 Programmes delivered by Police, Courts and Corrections

The criminal justice system and the police use tertiary prevention programmes to keep crime at bay. Tertiary crime prevention focuses on real criminals and entails intervening in their life in such a way that they do not commit other crimes. Such programmes include community policing, problem-oriented policing, proactive arrests, and reactive arrests.

5. NON-GOVERNMENTAL INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES

To reduce crime, non-governmental intervention programmes are often seen in the form of Public Private Partnerships. In the community, NGOs play a significant role in crime prevention. Much of the activity of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is focused on preventing crime in developing countries. The following are some NGO programmes. 5.1 Cybercap— This programme offers multimedia training to at-risk youth and ex-offenders, as well as their families. With Microsoft, public-private partnerships have been developed. 5.2 Prevention of Violence against Children and Youth- - The Red Cross of India and the Red Cross of Canada A programme that focuses on merging violence prevention and female child rights. It consisted of - School norms of behaviour; - Parental education - Peer education for teenagers aged 13 to 17 years

6. PUBLIC EDUCATION AND THE MEDIA

There are many compelling reasons for governments to involve the public and the media in discussions about crime prevention concerns and strategies. In the lack of a comprehensive knowledge of the options, public policy might be driven by public fear and requests for stronger action. The media in nearly every country tends to concentrate on the most violent crimes and events, and they have a significant impact on public perceptions of crime. Nonetheless, it is clear that when individuals are provided with more fair information, they are more likely to assist crime prevention. It is critical for all levels of government to connect with the public when formulating strategies to learn about their experiences and the challenges and goals that they regard as essential. Working with the media to provide more in-depth and fair reporting on prevention, as well as keeping the public informed about the good results of programmes or the problems they encounter, are critical strategies to ensuring that programmes are better understood. Public education is an apparent strategy for raising public awareness of new and increasing crimes such as human trafficking, organ trafficking, cultural property trafficking, or cybercrime, as well as the accompanying identity theft, economic fraud, and sexual exploitation. However, it must be employed with caution in order to prevent instilling fear and insecurity in the community. While there has been a significant decrease in the prevalence of various crimes in England and Wales during the last several years,

7. KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE INCIDENCE AND PREVALENCE OF CRIME-RELATED PROBLEMS

This necessitates gathering quantitative and qualitative data from a variety of sources rather than relying primarily on crime data provided by the police or other security agencies. Victimization surveys may provide information on the frequency and incidence of unreported offences and fear of crime. Information about crime and social issues may be gathered from a number of places, including hospital emergency rooms, schools, housing, transportation, leisure and environmental agencies, and family, youth, and social services. extensive experience and understanding of difficult-to-reach populations, such as street children, young people at danger or involved in juvenile gangs, women victims of abuse, and socially excluded persons. Organizations that deal with these groups may be able to assist in reaching out to them and listening to their perspectives. Interviews and observations will provide qualitative data to enhance quantitative data.

8. CRIMES AGAINST THE VULNERABLE

Victims may be used to describe crimes. Authorities may carry out tailored drills to prevent particular crimes against each demographic group. This is already evident in laws aimed at safeguarding certain groups of people. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, for example, tries to protect scheduled castes and tribes members from caste-based violence, while measures like the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, try to protect women from gender violence. Throughout addition, crimes against older adults and children are on the increase in the nation. To address such looming difficulties, the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offenses Act of 2012 and the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act of 2007 were recently enacted. These are the four sectors in which targeted crimes harm the most vulnerable populations. Of course, the aforementioned laws, in addition to helpline numbers and specific provisions set up by the government for these vulnerable members of society, are imposed indiscriminately on society; however, another community vulnerable to such crimes but grossly ignored by legislation is the LGTBQIA++ community. Hate crimes against this group are common, and the majority of its members are ostracised by their birth families, as well as the court system, which fails to protect their fundamental rights, freedoms, and justice. Of course, the decriminalisation of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code by the country's Apex Court was a step in the right direction on this issue, but members of this community are still waiting for the day when they will be treated truly equally, not only in the eyes of the law, which has made a valiant attempt to accommodate this community in the mainstream, but also in the eyes of society, which law strives to reform. It is a tedious process to account for each change with reference to each minority and its unique requirements for protection against crime to be tested and found compatible with each section of criminal legislation, but it is necessary to bring change in order to protect both those who are exploited because they are members of a minority

9. CONCLUSION

To sum up, the author believes that the government has a significant part in minimising criminal behaviour in the action, and that they should take minor efforts in that direction and be proactive. The tactics, rules, and techniques that are developed to lead to the prevention of crime should be specific, and the most important emphasis should be on everyone following them as if they were the law. The crime rate and trends in India have fluctuated dramatically during the last four decades. While crime against the human body has always been on the rise, small crimes such as burglary and other minor offences have been on the fall. It's also worth noting that the crime rate has been at an all-time high since the 1990s, implying some form of depravity. Based on a worldwide analysis, it might be claimed that India's total crime issue is not as significant as that of the United States or Latin American nations, but the crime rate is nevertheless on the rise. In India, economic, political, and social variables all have a part in criminal activity. We may expect an improvement in the crime situation if these elements can be managed and stable, which will lower the total crime rate. Crime prevention requires the collaboration of a variety of entities, including individuals, communities, businesses, governments, and non-governmental organisations. The United Nations' guidelines are used in national and local crime prevention efforts. While most governments take an active role in crime prevention via specific policies and legislation, nonprofit groups have demonstrated a growing interest in assisting to keep communities safe and crime-free. They now realise that safety and violence reduction are critical conditions for growth, and one of the new Sustainable Development Goals approved by the United Nations is to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The CCO framework, or Conjunction of Criminal Opportunity, lays forth the fundamentals of crime prevention intervention. All seven institutions that come within the ambit of the incidence of crime are covered by government intervention programmes. Because these programmes are supported by government financing, they may be sustained for lengthy periods of time. Non-governmental intervention programmes that take the shape of Public Private Partnerships have a lot of success. The majority of non-governmental activities are focused on development, with a focus on training and rehabilitation.

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Corresponding Author Dr. Aradhana Parmar*

Dean, Faculty of Law, Maharishi Arvind University, Jaipur-302041 (Rajasthan)