Believe it or not - crime is a good paymaster

When I say that crime is a good paymaster, there is bound to be disagreement on this issue. Like half a glass of water: it is either half empty or half full. It all depends on your perception. Therefore, when someone tells me that ‘crime does not pay’, I stare back at him blankly. He probably comes from an era different to mine.
In today’s scenario, crime is a wonderful paymaster.
My statement may raise a lot of controversy but fact is fact. Just imagine a world where crime did not exist – what would happen to all those policemen who are recruited to uphold the Law? What would happen to all those industries that specialize in manufacturing gizmos like CCTVs, metal detectors, body scanners etcetera for crime detection and prevention? What would happen to all those individuals who are employed in law enforcement outfits to update database of crimes and criminals when their source of income suddenly vanishes? What would happen to their families? What about the professional hackers on whom rests the responsibility to prevent real hackers from creating problems?
Yes – crime has its plus points. It generates employment opportunities as well as opportunities for business.
I do not mean scamsters who shrug off all such insinuations by saying – ‘I am a criminal only if the court is able to prove the charges. Till such time, even if you have sufficient evidence to send me behind bars ten times over, I challenge you to try to do so. You have a life to lead – I will ensure that you live it in misery.’
We know that it is impossible to take any criminal to task because of criminal lawyers who have to save their clients. Yes - without crime, where would these criminal lawyers go?
Our Bollywood cinemas are based on these themes. Like sex, crime is another subject that sells. This is a subject that people want. This is a subject where you have ample opportunities of showing what you would normally hesitate to show. This is a subject where duplicates get a chance to earn some money, a profession where a new slot of fight masters has been identified, where creative groups devise unheard of and improbable stunts – all in the name of entertainment. How can there be entertainment without crime?
Writers have minted millions by writing on the novel methods employed by criminals – right from time immemorial. Edgar Allen Poe, Erle Stanley Gardener, James Hadley Chase, Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming … the list is a long one. The bottom line is - in each of us there resides two entities – one, the good part; the second – the evil part. And – both reside side by side and complement each other.