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The Rediff Interview/Ronald Mendonca

'We cannot afford to take another risk like Satya. The glorification of crime is the most dangerous thing that can happen in any society'

Police Commissioner Ronald Hyacinth Mendonca has been driven out of his shadowy, low profile by a spate of extortion attempts and gruesome killings on the streets of Bombay. Every morning the city headlines a violent death while people from all walks of life are suddenly receiving threatening calls and demands for cash. Has Bombay become the crime capital of India, or is all this hype deliberate, to frighten the rich and the mighty to open their purse-strings? Pritish Nandy spoke to the commissioner.

Why has the city suddenly become so paranoid? Everyone, everywhere is just talking extortion, extortion, extortion. How did we reach such a despairing state? And why?

Everything is always left at the door of the police force. Crime has always been there in Bombay, and everyone is responsible for the problem. For years, no one showed the political will to fight this menace, no one was ready to tackle the causative factors that led to it. Now, all of a sudden, everyone expects the police force to solve the problem overnight. Frankly, if you ask me, we can. We can fight back the crime wave and stop it. But to do this, we need realistic resources. We need more manpower. We need more guns, more ammunition; better systems, better technology in place. If these are available, I see no reason why we cannot stop all this crime.

You are seen as a fine officer, an honest cop but too academic in style, too dependent on files and statistics. People feel that you lack the fierce cunning, the streetsmart bent of mind to tackle what has turned out to be a dangerous situation, fraught with frightening long-term consequences. Put simply: You are not tough enough.

People mistake my soft-spoken nature, my low-profile style as a sign of weakness. But that is incorrect. Even if I want I cannot be abusive with my staff. It is not in my nature. You must judge me by the results I have achieved, not by my nature, my style. Look at the facts. I know you will say that I am again relying on statistics but the fact is: Unless we rely on statistics, what else do we have to go on? We have received, this year, 713 reports of extortion. Of these, 274 were written complaints. The rest were complaints made in confidence. Of these, 194 cases have been detected and 405 extortionists arrested...

Are they still in custody? Were you able to prove the charges against them, or were they let off by the courts in the absence of hard evidence?

Most of them are still in custody.

How many of them are hardcore criminals and how many of them are first-time or casual offenders?

Well, 317 out of the 713 extortion attempts, we found, were by taporis, not gangsters at all! Some of them by young boys from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa. Many of the hardened criminals too are from outside Bombay. From Karnataka, Delhi, UP. That is why I say: Unless we tackle the causative factors, crime in Bombay will not diminish. Look at the huge number of immigrants coming into the city every day. Look at the slums that are growing just next door to the highrise buildings, the islands of affluence contrasting with the punishing lifestyle of the poor.

The footpaths have been all taken over. The forests are being overrun. Illegal constructions are even coming up on the bridges and the civic authorities have given them electricity and drinking water! How can you prevent stone-pelting at the commuters when the hutments have reached the train tracks? What can we do about these things? They are beyond our jurisdiction. To be able to fight back these casual factors, we need more money allotted to us, we need more people. In 1951, we had 4 plus policemen per 1,000 population. Today, we have less than half of that. Yet our responsibilities have increased manifold. We are providing VIP security to many more people. We are protecting buildings and monuments against terrorist attacks. We are coping with more street crime, more white-collar crime, more gang wars, more extortion bids.

Our output is much more. Our performance is infinitely better. The ratio of crime has dropped from almost 9 per 1,000 population in 1951 to 3 today. But we cannot stretch our limited resources anymore. We need more support, more resources backing us.

Have you made this clear to the government?

Yes, in writing.

What was the response?

They are supportive. But a lot still has to be done.

That is a diplomatic answer. Are you getting enough political backing? That's the real question.

Yes, we are. For instance, everyone now has ammunition. This took some time but it finally happened. Which is a good thing, given the current crime scenario and the need for a quick, strong response from the police force.

Newspapers say that the ongoing fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena is demoralising your force. Is this true?

We stay out of politics.

But is it possible to stay out of politics, in that sense?

We have asked for a few things that we think are imperative. One: These Insta cards and Ace cards must be brought under control. Otherwise, the criminals are openly and blatantly using mobile phones and getting away with the anonymity that these cards provide them. We have spoken to BPL and Maxtouch about this and they have agreed to now take the down the names and addresses of the buyers of these cards.

But that will not stop their misuse. Anyone can buy them and then redistribute them among other users.

I agree. But what can we do beyond this? We do not have the jurisdiction to stop their use. Secondly, we have asked for 60 motorcycles and walkie-talkies for patrolling. That is the only way you can chase getaway cars in Bombay's dense traffic. This will cost Rs 3 million. We actually need about 300 more but that will cost around Rs 25 million.

The manpower also?

No, we will allot the men from our existing force but the motorcycles and walkie-talkies are essential to swiftly respond. We also need to urgently replace 112 condemned vehicles at a cost of Rs 32 million. In addition, we have asked for 154 new vehicles. Plus, we need to fill up existing vacancies. Over 80 vacancies at the officers level and 400 at the policeman level are lying unfilled. This is putting too much stress on us. Posts of even additional commissioners and deputy commissioners are lying vacant.

What else is on your wishlist?

Effective legislation to replace the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act which has lapsed. A fund to train our best officers to fight organised crime and collect intelligence from the underworld. An empowered committee to clear our proposals. Stronger measures inside our jails, where the criminals are having a free run. Better co-ordination between the different enforcement agencies. And, of course, we would like the media to stop glorifying criminals. The Press Council must take cognisance of this.

If that is so, how did you allow Satya to get past the censors? If there is one film that has taught every unemployed young person in Bombay how to start a career in crime, it is this one. It has shown how simple it is to extort, terrorise, kill. It has romanticised crime and obtained tax relief for its makers! Making it into one of the year's biggest grossers.

That is exactly why we have asked for a nominee on the Censor Board. Someone who can point this out to them. That is why they are showing us Zakhm. We cannot afford to take another risk like Satya. The glorification of crime is the most dangerous thing that can happen in any society.

What do you say to the victims?

Never give in. If you ever succumb to an extortion threat, there will be no end to your problems. They will get worse and worse and worse. If you pay one extortionist, the next will come and ask you for money. If you pay the next, then everyone will come and extort you and then when you finally throw up your hands and say no, they will kill you mercilessly.

But what is the solution? Why will a citizen risk going to the cops? Most people believe, whether you like it or not, that the cops and the underworld have a secret nexus, a private understanding at many levels. Who wants to risk retribution by complaining to the police? Suppose the complaint leaks out?

Let me tell you one thing. Not a single one among those who have complained to us in confidence have been hurt to date. Not one. We have assured their safety and, in many cases, the threats have stopped. But what can we do when people do not come to us? What is worse is when they actually succumb to the threats and pay. After that, there is no way out. The noose only tightens around their neck.

EARLIER INTERVIEW:
The Rediff Interview/R H Mendonca

The Rediff Interviews

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