The portrayal of crime, of late, has been such that it influences young minds in a negative way. It is evident from the data collected from the subdivision Jahangir Puri of the North-West District, Delhi where all sorts of crimes were witnessed in recent times.

It is worth noticing that the involvement of those below 18 years of age in heinous crimes is alarming and should not be ignored by our law enforcement agencies . 

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According to the data, out of a total of 209 persons arrested this year for heinous crimes like murder, attempt to murder and robbery, 31 per cent were Children in Conflict with Law (CCL). Not only the involvement in crimes but also drug abuse by youth is growing among both the rich and the poor. 

To eradicate the drug menace from society and to wean young minds from criminal and antisocial activities, the North-West Delhi Police initiated ‘Operation-Badlaav’, a month-long drug de-addiction campaign under the purview of ‘NashaMukt Bharat Abhiyan’ and counseling of youth to channelise their energies in a positive way so that they could be brought into the mainstream of the society.

Initially, this month-long campaign was launched in the Jahangir Puri area under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) North-West District, Usha Rangnani. Under the programme all station house officers (SHOs) were specifically told to identify people involved in drug trafficking in their respective areas and take strict action against them.

Besides, special awareness drives were initiated at various places in which residents took an active part. The pogramme included drug awareness seminars, counseling sessions, nukkad-nataks, and sensitisation of the residents about drugs.

Counseling sessions were organised in the Jahangir Puri and Lal Bagh areas where there is the tendency among the youth to be inclined towards crime.

The youth here were counselled to stay away from the company of criminals and antisocial elements and not to react to hate-filled videos. The police, through this campaign, is trying to channelise such youth’s energy towards sports activities and skill training.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), North West District, Usha Rangnani said that the special focus of the drive is the subdivision area of Jahangirpuri, where 31 per cent of CCLs were found involved in heinous crimes this year. 

A special drive is launched to identify drug addicts in the area and their rehabilitation being carried out at various drug de-addiction centers under proper guidance. Apart from this, a large number of youths are provided skill training in various sectors.

Juvenile crimes

The DCP said that the infamous murder case of Jahangir Puri is the epitome of an alarming situation wherein three young boys killed a 24-year-old innocent individual just to establish themselves in the crime world and to be known as fearless members of the “Badnam Gang”.

They recorded their brutal act with the intent to post it on social media so that others could see their daring act. Besides, after examining several other cases of crime, it was noted that approximately 31 per cent CCLs were involved in crimes including murder (53 per cent), attempt to murder (32.5 per cent), and robbery (18 per cent) reported in the sub-division Jahangir Puri this year.

Two-pronged strategy 

To tackle the delicate situation in the district, the police adopted a twin approach to cope with the disturbing scenario. One, strict action against those involved in crime and two, counseling, guiding, and mainstreaming of such youths through skill training and drug de-addiction.

The district police have adopted this carrot and stick policy to reform the youth. They not only apprehended all the three CCLs in the “Badnam Gang murder case” but also made efforts to ensure that the outcome of such brutality sets an example for others with a similar mindset.

In this direction, a request was made on behalf of the police that the case of one of the CCLs, aged about 17 years, be transferred to sessions court from the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) so that he could be tried as an adult.

Zero tolerance towards narcotics

A heavy crackdown has also been launched against drug traffickers and suppliers. This year alone, as many as 83 cases were registered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the North-West District, in which 90 accused were arrested and narcotics were recovered in large quantities.

Skill training 

Over the past year, the North-West Police have been making continuous efforts to mainstream vulnerable youths by providing them skill training in various sectors in association with various hospitals, and companies and generating employment opportunities for them under the ‘Yuva Scheme of Delhi Police’. Under the scheme, over 500 vulnerable youths were provided skill training and out of them, around 80 were given suitable placements.