Why in news?
- Delhi Police have decided to allow higher ranking traffic cops to carry side-arms to enforce better traffic control.
- This move is ill-advised and fraught with risk.
Why is it futile?
- The apparent reason for this move is to help the traffic police cope with the growing instances of road rage.
- Incidence of assaults on police personnel seeking to impose traffic rules has indeed seen an uptick.
- But, as most policemen are simply run over by rule breakers, it is unclear on how arming cops with pistons, solve the problem.
- Also, in a state like Delhi, arming the traffic police will see retaliatory arming by habitual offenders, thereby accelerating breakdown.
- Though formal gun licences are difficult to procure, the easy access to crude country-made pistols will prove a menace.
- Notably, PCR vans, who are the first responders in any crime, are equipped with weapon-carrying personnel anyway.
What could be a better alternative?
- While stricter enforcement increase traffic compliance, in Delhi, powerful citizens regularly pull ranks to avoid traffic tickets.
- Also, rampant bribing of the traffic cops has also reduced the regulations to a mockery.
- Addressing these basic issues would contribute immensely rather than arms which is just a lazy substitute for lack of political will.
- Drunken Drive – This was a deeply trenched menace in Delhi for long & a campaign against it was launched with strong political backing.
- Despite the patchy ground level implementation, it did yield considerable results, with Delhi-ites seeking an increased reliance on Taxi services after parties.
- This approach needs to be widened to ensure compliance for other traffic rules too, with a strong political will.
What are the experience elsewhere?
- Kolkata’s traffic cops have been armed for some decades without much issues.
- But the culture evolved due to the Naxalites menace in the 60s, which clearly isn’t the case with Delhi.
- Arming cops in the US has also been largly negative, as social prejudices have led cops to shoot without substantial reason.
- In the US, traffic and dashboard cameras have often nailed the lie and enabled victims to sometimes secure justice.
- Indian vehicles are still loaded with relatively basic features and it will be a while before they catch up.
- Thus, arming Delhi's traffic police will only serve to make the public more vulnerable, not less.
Source: Business Standard
