Chain snatchers kill man, attack wife

The incident took place around 9.30 pm when the farmer Jayaraman and his wife Vijaya were returning home in Velur village on a bike after buying groceries from Thiruvalavayal market. They were near Anukkampattu when two unidentified men on a bike intercepted them. The men got off the bike and approached the couple with knives and an iron rod in hand, demanding Vijaya to give up her jewellery. 

Seeing the duo armed, Jayaraman got off the bike and tried to shield his wife from them. This resulted in an altercation and the men attacked Jayaraman. They men stabbed him till he collapsed and then moved towards Vijaya and tried to snatch her gold chain. When she resisted, they attacked her as well. Alerted by their cries, a passer-by, Arumugam, rushed to the spot only to be injured by the robbers who fled soon after. 

Others who noticed the couple and Arumugam lying unconscious on the roadside rushed them to Stanley medical college hospital, where Jayaraman succumbed to his injuries within hours. The condition of the other two remains critical. The Kattur police have registered a case and are looking for the suspects. 

According to the  doctors, Jayaraman died due to excessive blood loss. Moreover, as the robbers had hit him on the head as well, he had sustained deep cuts which worsened his condition. After the preliminary inquiry, the police said that the accused could belong to some other state. The incident has sent shock waves among the residents of the locality.

Chain snatching offences are a classic example of the opportunity exploited by the criminals. Till some decades ago, chain snatching cases used to take place when there is less crowd on the roads, like in the afternoons or after 8 pm. But these days, it is increasingly occurring at all times. 

Setting a trap or tracking them is a big challenge for the police. There has always been a debate in police circles as to whether chain snatching is a law and order problem or a crime. Any open occurrence in a public place is a public order issue, but ultimately when theft of property is involved, everything falls on the lap of resource-starved Crime wing. 

It is here that the top police officers should intervene in devising strategies by involving Law and Order, Crime and also Traffic wings to intercept the offenders fleeing on vehicles. Snatching cases are definitely a public order issue and should be viewed seriously. It is just one step away from robbery. If the victim sustains injury, then it has to be registered as a robbery, a more serious offence entailing higher punishment. 

Police segregate criminals based on the cases registered against them, their present and past activities, and devise appropriate strategies against them. Preventive detention under Goondas Act is one potent weapon, but building up coterminous record against the criminal elements is essential to stand the scrutiny of courts.

 Supreme Court has clearly spelt out what constitutes breach of public peace and order. Hence, police have to meticulously record the criminal conduct of the individual to take him under preventive detention. 

Local preventive strategies worked at the police station level play a vital role in crime control. During Panguni Uthram festival, Kapaleeswarar Temple Mylapore attracts huge number of devotees. 

On an average, about 50 chain snatching cases are reported every year. This year, police devised a strategy to prevent crimes: they distributed thousands of safety pins to women, requesting them to pin their gold chains to the sari. This strategy worked well, as the number of incidents dropped to less than 10. Control of rowdyism is a major responsibility of City Police. 

The station house officer should evince fear in criminals in the area. But do police officers instil that kind of fear among criminals is a moot point. Paucity of manpower is a never-ending problem which defies immediate solution. 

Enterprise resource planning has to be implemented in a practical manner to optimise manpower utilisation. Police is beset with multifarious duties and more often than not, manpower is wasted due to unimaginative and unprofessional deployment, particularly for VIP protection. Police performance needs constant evaluation to remain professionally relevant. 

Smart policing is all about being Strict, Modern, Alert and Tech savvy. Criminal propensity is part social issue but mostly enforcement issue. However, criminal opportunity is provided by the victim, and crime occurs when there is slackness in enforcement. Eternal vigil is the key to crime prevention.