With the implementation of more relaxations of COVID-19 protocols in the country, the crime rate, such as battery, assault and groupism, is on the rise. People are seen loitering around in town even after the entertainment centers are closed. It was found that almost 70 percent are youths, including students who loiter during late nights.
The licenses of various business entities have been seized, and in some cases after several warnings there have been termination of the business licenses for operating beyond the closing time.
The Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) has imposed an intensive night patrolling starting June, especially during party nights. In addition, they have enforced the canine checking to track down the drug traffickers.
RBP does not do random checks, but conduct search on suspicious people or when they get any tip-off. Police also frisk suspicious people loitering during the late hours, and in a few incidences, they have found weapons and drugs on people.
RBP has registered 2,819 criminal cases nationwide in 2021 despite various lockdowns, while RBP has registered 1,355 cases as of June 2022. Thimphu contributed the highest with 1,186 criminal cases in 2021 and 579 cases in 2022 respectively.
In the past, Chukha usually stood at top two, however, Paro overtook the position in 2022 with 110 cases. Nevertheless, Chukha police has registered 88 cases as of July 2022.
As per Deputy Chief of Police (DCoP), Crime and Operation, Colonel Passang Dorji, although the crime rate in 2021 stands at almost 3,000 cases, however, this is a drastic decrease in crime rate compared to past years, which is attributed to the pandemic and with numerous lockdowns.
He said, “It is a natural phenomenon to see an increase in crime rate this year with more relaxation in protocols. People are frustrated with lockdowns, which is why the moment they get out of that restricted zone, they end up going around partying, which eventually leads to committing of crime.”
This is when the students get into tussles, the abusers increase, an issue of drug and alcohol addiction increases, and the number of drug traffickers increases, he said, adding that this is why they have enforced an intensive patrolling, which includes senior police officers on the patrol teams.
The intensive patrolling was initiated as per the development of the situation, in-order to react and strategize on the ways to control the crimes. Maximum crimes take place at night, and taking that into account, RBP came up with the initiative.
He said, “It is unfair to say that the situation is under control with the initiative, but we could control the crime from happening to some extent. There are associated challenges. We are not able to cover every nook and corner of the city. This is why we have identified places which are prone to crime.”
Nevertheless, reports of crime come from the places that the patrol teams cannot reach. The places in the north and south are covered by the respective police stations.
There are police canines deployed, however, it is challenging for the dogs to concentrate as the stray dogs chase them and bark at them distracting from doing their jobs said the DCoP.
The youths are found to be moving around during the odd hours howling and banging the parked vehicles. They are more vulnerable to committing crime, the DCoP added.
Therefore, it is not a sole responsibility of police in addressing the issue. Everyone can play a role. Parents can keep track of what their children are up to, and the school can educate students on crime and its consequences, he said.
“We do not intend to arrest and prosecute anyone before the court of law, however, if need be then there is no other option than to do as per the law. Our mandate is to keep everyone safe, and we will ensure their safety within our capacity,” he further added.
Talking to one of the officers on the ground, the officer emphasized on the issues of parenting and peer pressure. Some parents are overly sensitive, whereby when we call the parents to inform about their children’s doing, they get aggressive and very defensive.
Many of the youths, including young girls are seen moving around during late hours, and most of them are those staying with their relatives and friends. These are the group of people who are more vulnerable to the many crimes, especially sexual offences, the officer said.
The Officer said, “That is when parents must play a role in protecting their children. We need their cooperation rather than they acting defensive and protecting their children in a wrong way. If not corrected at the earliest, then that can lead to bigger problems in the future.”
Meanwhile, the DCoP said that with two additional Police Stations (PSs) in the city, the north PS and the south PS, the case burden on the city PS has reduced and with independent detention centers, they are able to decongest the space in temporary detention. This way, RBP will be able to facilitate their services in better ways.
There are more than 30 entertainment centers in Thimphu, and based on the availability of the manpower, RBP plans on enhancing the patrolling.
In the process, there were many incidences, whereby the officials on duty were harassed and challenged by the people.