Can’t prevent every murder: Delhi Police chief

Under pressure after a spate of crimes in the past few days, including the gruesome killing of two senior citizens in Rohini on Monday night, Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar on Thursday said one cannot expect the police to prevent every murder in the city.

Under pressure after a spate of crimes in the past few days, including the gruesome killing of two senior citizens in Rohini on Monday night, Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar on Thursday said one cannot expect the police to prevent every murder in the city.

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Dismissing suggestions that the capital was not a safe place to live in, Kumar said on July 24, there were six murders and not nine as reported by the media.

But though Kumar tried to downplay the crime scene, even six murders in 24 hours created a scare in the city. As per police statistics, on an average Delhi witnesses three murders in two days.

In an interaction with reporters, Kumar spoke on various issues related to the law and order situation in the capital.

"For us, only those murders committed during robbery or snatching are sensational. While we solved the Rohini murder case, at Nizamuddin, a man had killed his father which obviously we cannot prevent," said Kumar.

Speaking on street crime, he said the police had decided to map snatching-prone areas. "We are identifying vulnerable spots. The crime branch has also prepared a list of notorious snatchers," Kumar said. An interstate meeting will be held to control the movement of snatchers from neighbouring states, he said.

Senior citizens
Kumar said the police had started issuing identity cards to senior citizens. The cards will contain their details and numbers on which they can contact in case of emergency. "We recently found most senior citizens don't have I-cards," Kumar said.

Akbarabadi mosque
For the first time, the police accepted that local leaders and their supporters could have been involved in Saturday night's violence and their role would be probed.

During the violence, two men had snatched the pistol of a constable posted as personal security officer of a local. "Imran and Izhar have been arrested and a weapon along with five cartridges has been recovered," Kumar said.