In Sarpang, Chhudzom Gewog has been seeing an increase in population over the years. More out of school youths and university graduates, unable to find decent-paying jobs, started staying back in the community to pursue farming. While seeking employment in the agriculture sector is a positive trend, it is not without its fair share of drawbacks. The community is seeing a rise in crime rates for which the Chhudzom Gewog Administration is now seeking a community police centre.
Chhudzom Gup raised the gewog’s need for a community police station during the Dzongkhag Tshogdu, recently, to address youth related crime and domestic violence.
Offences including domestic violence and youth getting involved in battery cases under the influence of drugs and alcohol are among the most reported cases in the community which has over 4000 population.
According to the gup, they are unable to report these offences to police in fear of getting attacked by offenders as the gewog is quite far from the Sarpang District Administration.
Chhudzom Gewog is 68 kilometres from the district administration.
There are a lot of young people in our community who dropped out of school after studying up to tenth and twelfth grades. Then there are also university graduates. Every year, the crime rate in our community is on the rise. We request for community police centre in this fourth Dzongkhag Tshogdu to ensure the welfare of the people of our community and curb the crime incidences,” said Bishnu Prasad Rai, Chhudzom Gup.
Superintendent of the Gelephu Police said community police is being instituted in gewogs depending on the number of criminal offences being reported.
He added that Sarpang Police station has not received alarming crime rates from the Chuudzom Gewog.
“Firstly, we need to measure the distance, then we need to count the population and get the number of reported crime cases to the police station from the concerned gewog,” said Col. Chogyel Drukpa, Superintendent of Police in Gelephu.
He asked the gewog to write to the Sarpang Police and that the office will forward the matter to the head office.
Sarpang Police has recorded 10 crime-related reports from the Chhudzom Gewog in 2022, three in 2023 and two so far this year.
The community police centres help maintain law and order and peace in the community by focusing on crime prevention.
Karma Wangdi, Chhukha
Edited by Phub Gyem
