Fighting crime with technology – Tribune
The saga of the recent rescue of the abducted Senator Iyabo Anisulowo from the kidnappers' den in Ogun State might read like the script of a James Bond thriller. But it is sufficient proof that the country's high rate of crime can actually be simmered by the use of technology. By deploying the appropriate technology, the security agencies were simply able to track down the abductors through their conversations and it is commendable that they were able to secure her release without hurt.
Anisulowo's rescue clearly represented an advancement in the offensive against crime and if crimes could in future be so intercepted by the security agencies, its incidence will not only be reduced ultimately; it will also be much easier to prosecute criminals. The beauty of this method lies in its potency to easily deter criminals right from the planning stage given the high probability of their eventual arrest. It is also commendable that various security agencies were able to work out a synergy in their bid to rescue the abducted senator. The synergy ensured the success of the deployed technology and it certainly recommended itself to future engagements with such criminals and during emergencies.
As borne out by research, the success of crime control and apprehension lies in security agencies being ahead of criminals, pre-empting them and blocking their various schemes to exploit the loopholes in the security apparatus of the state. In the particular case of abduction, there is the tendency that these criminals may now shift from using cell phones in demanding for ransom. It is therefore up to the security agencies to anticipate their next moves and foil them.
For instance, it has been suggested that domestic robbery operations are no longer in vogue because people hardly ever retain heavy cash at home given the ease and convenience of modern banking methods, including mobile and internet banking, and the availability and convenience of the automated teller machine (ATM). Except the robbery is an inside job in which the robbers strike based on credible information, domestic robbery operations are now few and far between and the venue of robbery has shifted to the ATM points where vulnerable victims are usually attacked by criminals riding on motorcycles.
The APCs stationed in banking premises have also, to some extent, discouraged those dare devil robbers who specialise in attacking bank vaults wielding heavy artillery and escaping with their heist because it is extremely difficult, though not impossible, to get past the APCs. In this connection, the installation of close circuit monitoring apparatus in banks has proved quite crucial. What is more, the biometric verification number floated by the Central Bank of Nigeria and made mandatory for all bank customers in the country is also a potent tool to trace slush funds and other ill-gotten money, and suspicious transactions can now be easily observed and intercepted. However, complete success in tackling crime will still be a function of the integrity of the security agencies and supportive infrastructure. If the security agencies are proactive, determined and forthright, it will be almost impossible to compromise them and they will be empowered to reduce crime in the society to a large extent.
Supportive infrastructure in the form of steady electric power has however remained in the realm of fantasy in Nigeria. The so-called privatisation of the distribution part of the public utility has further worsened service delivery in that sector rather than improved it because the entities that acquired the distribution concerns seem to be interested only in the quantum proceeds from the localised monopolies which they have become. Without electricity, deploying technology in fighting crime can at best only be a fatuous proposal. Life without power is virtually unthinkable in the developed economies.
We urge the present administration to confront the electricity problem in the country with all the resolve required to put it into shape in the earliest possible time because of its implications for national development. The possibility of confronting the country's crime rate with appropriate technology excites us as a new direction to pursue in the bid to alter the picture of the country's crime terrain positively. We recommend that the tempo be sustained until respite and relative peace can be attained.