On the worsening law and order situation in the city, Ribeiro observed the anonymity offered by Mumbai prompts people to ``commit misdeeds without worry of any peer condemnation. There is no fear of exposure here.'' This, he said, was the Big City Syndrome.

Besides, with the law taking its own time to punish the guilty, criminals were becoming more and more daring, lamented Ribeiro. ``Over the years, the likelihood of a person being punished for murder has reduced to 15-20 per cent from 80 per cent,'' he said.

The failure of police to tackle crime stemmed from several reasons, he said, adding that `politicisation' of the police force was the main factor. ``Politicians use transfers to distort thesystem,'' he said.

Ribeiro stressed encounters were not the solution to the problem. ``The vacuum is immediately filled up, and policemen turn into criminals this way,'' he said.

The only way to force the government to take concrete measures would be to build up public opinion on the matter, the former police commissioner remarked. ``In any case, the two political parties in power are worried now, one a little less than the other,'' he quipped.