Is the Mumbai police force beginning to show signs of change? From over 100 encounters a year a decade back to just one or two now, it seems to be a case of shifting backgrounds.

The changing face of crime

Is the Mumbai police force beginning to show signs of change? From over 100 encounters a yearu00a0 a decade back to just one or two now, it seems to be a case of shifting backgrounds.

In the mid 90s Mumbai was like the Wild West. Gunning gangsters was like a scene from one of the old cowboys films where high profile cops simply pulled out their guns and fired.u00a0 Nobody knew for sure why gangsters, who roamed the streets of Mumbai withu00a0 guns, soon became sitting ducks for the cops. And they were almost always on the mark.

After almost seven years of shootouts on the streets of Mumbai, which was usually followed by encounters, the violent scenes have now disappeared. Encounters have become a thing of the past.

The focus of Mumbai's crime is shifting. Officers do not want to get involved in the game of encounters
Gangs involved in smuggling with dons like Dawood Ibrahim at the helm, the deserted beaches and boats landing with contraband as depicted in dozens of Bollywood masalas, the dashing cop who wanted to bust the syndicate have disappeared from the scene.

Does this mean the crime rate has slipped? On the contrary, statistics point to a steady spiralling rise in the crime graph -- though not very alarmingly.

Most of the rustic encounter specialists have died and some are out of jobs. Others have been outclassed by a new breed of officers, who do not believe in the cowboy culture or gun duels.

The focus of Mumbai's Crime Branch is changing. Officers no longer want to get involved in the grime game of encounters.

Now, terror has taken centrestage, as seen in some of the recent Hollywood films. Post 9/11, there were dozens of potboilers showing the FBI infiltrating the web of terror. Such scenes became rare no sooner, the US agencies managed to prevent terrorists from entering the country.

Now tackling terror has become top priority. Everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon.

Officers from various departments want to join the Anti-Terrorism Squad. Many want to opt for the Crime Branch so they may get a chance to be active on the terror scene.

There is a mad rush to join the Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing and National Investigation Agency -- all bodies dealing with terror-related cases.

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