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.
