Building a Crime and Drug-Free Society: Steps to Achieve a Safer Community
In a quest to propel societal growth and global progress in the 21st century, criminal activities exert a significant influence. Simultaneously, drugs play a supportive role. Crime and drugs are intricately linked in a way that fosters continual evolution in new discourses. The question arises: is diversity in crime essential for fostering a crime and drug-free society, or does drug presence breed novelty in the realm of crimes? Criminologists, sociologists, policymakers, and social reformers are exploring crime and drug phenomena from a multidimensional perspective, where control and preventive measures are paramount in the current societal context. Notably, before taking effective steps, a thorough analysis based on causation of any issue, theoretical scrutiny, contemporary trends, dynamics, and comprehensive evaluation is crucial.
Statistics Reflecting the Alarming Crime Scenario
Painting a grim picture of the escalating crime rate in Bangladesh, the release of crime-based statistics from the Police Department is imperative to underscore the society’s grim visage. According to statistics, the year 2023 witnessed three thousand twenty-eight homicides and five thousand two hundred two cases of severe assaults. Reports indicate a daily average of over eight homicides and more than fourteen allegations of assault. Alongside assaults, accusations of other forms of violence against women are surging, with over thirty reported daily and a total of eleven thousand thirty-seven cases recorded. Additionally, the year 2023 documented a staggering one thousand three hundred eighty-four incidents of robbery, marking a record for law enforcement. Notably, drug control legislation accounts for the highest number of cases.
Insight into the Human Impact of Crime and Drugs
Reflecting on the past twelve years, nearly two hundred parents have fallen victim to drug-related murders at the hands of their drug-addicted children, highlighting the adverse effects of drug abuse on social fabric. Conversely, prevalent crimes in society are on the decline. For instance, kidnapping incidents in 2023 numbered four hundred sixty-six, while there were two thousand five incidents of theft. The police force is expanding to combat these issues.
Embracing Change Amid Technological Advancements
Despite the integration of new digital technologies, crime rates continue to rise, giving rise to new forms of criminal activities. Online crimes, e-commerce fraud, cyberbullying, hacking, phishing, spamming, software piracy, and pyramid schemes are deeply concerning. The evolution of criminology from the pre-historic era in Europe to modern and post-modern eras has focused on analyzing crime types, causes, dynamics, preventive measures, and control strategies. This era has witnessed the establishment of various perspectives for analyzing crime from biological, psychological, social, economic, geographic, organizational, and national angles. The causes of crime are being explored more deeply, considering factors like social instability, lack of control, family disintegration, indifference, and adversarial circumstances.
