There are approximately 100 houses in W-Block most of them palatial bungalows with their own security guards that fall on both sides of the main road. ``They just don't understand that it is so easy for anyone to cross the jungle, jump over the wall, loot and kill, and then escape from the main road,'' said Chittaranjan Park Station House Officer (SHO) Satish Sharma.

The jungle stretches right up to Ambedkar Nagar. Sharma added, ``There are a lot of jhuggis there and the people use the jungle as a thoroughfare. Our main problem is the influx of people. Fortunately, nothing has happened here so far, but people have to be careful.''

Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Pradeep Srivastava said that the police have time and again warned the W-Block residents to raise the approximately 10-foot-high wall to around 25 feet, and get anti-climbing grills installed. The standard response, if any, is: Let the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) do it.

A constable on patrol said, ``Tomorrow if something happens, they will blame the police. Anyone can jump over the wall and commit a crime, not only in W-Block but also the S and M-Blocks and DDA flats. And not all houses have private security.''

The SHO said that when passersby are questioned they merely say that they are domestic helpers on their way to work. There is no means of verifying this as the residents have not cooperated during the servant verification drives. Meetings organised by the police are rarely attended. ``We have regular security drills. We inform them about the various home security devices available in the market. We have also distributed pamphlets. But the residents are just not interested. There is no neighbourhood watch scheme or even a residents' welfare association,'' said an official.

Why the indifference? A lady deigned to talk from the second-floor balcony of her sprawling mansion: ``We have our own security guard and close-circuit television cameras all over the house. This area is very peaceful, all the police do is bother us. My family has been living here for the past 20 years, and our servants have been here for as long.''

An elderly man walking his Doberman in the afternoon sun said: ``Nothing ever happens here, it's quite peaceful. I usually walk my dog at night, only armed with a stick.'' When asked about the low wall and the jungle beyond, he merely said, ``Yes, that could pose a problem. But we are all islands here, each one for himself.''

There are other areas in south Delhi where police warnings have paid off, and residents have realised that a participatory approach is needed to tackle crime. ACP (Hauz Khas) O.P. Mishra, who has done a lot of work on community policing in his area, said: ``There is complete anonymity in a city. Neighbours don't know each other. But if you don't know your neighbour, how do you know that he is not a criminal? In this area we have started several exercises which essentially create a psychological deterrence in the minds of criminals.''

The ACP's reasoning is: To commit a crime a person has to first ascertain the entry and exit routes. For this, a reconnaissance of the area is essential. But if the community watch scheme is effective then this acts as a deterrent, as there is a fear of getting caught even before the crime is committed. Mishra has a detailed file on every watchman in Hauz Khas and Saket. They have meetings and have even instituted a `Best Chowkidar' award. Residents are also encouraged to join the police on night patrol, but this has been successful only in Swami Nagar and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) campus.