AP crime rate dips by 6 per cent in 2019

The crime rate in Andhra Pradesh declined by six per cent in the first 11 months of 2019 as compared to the previous year, police said.

Once the hotbed of the Maoists' activity, the Andhra- Odisha Border Zone remained relatively peaceful with the outlaws now confined only two Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts in the state.

The police claimed to have totally "neutralized" the Nandapur Area Committee of the CPI (Maoist) that took part in the killing of a TDP MLA and an ex-MLA in the Araku Agency area in 2018.

They further claimed to have neutralised three district committee members, four area committee members and four platoon members of the Maoists in a joint operation with Odisha police and recovered 11 weapons.

"Left-wing extremist activities in the state are under effective check. This year, eight Maoists were killed in exchange of fire while 53 surrendered.

We have arrested 48 outlaws in the state and another 9 in inter-state operation," AP Director General of Police Damodar Gautam Sawang told media on Sunday.

Bodily crime, including murders, showed a declining trend while white-collar offences shot up.

There was a mixed trend in property offences with burglaries and robberies on the rise and murder-for-gain and dacoities falling.

Cyber crime shot up by a whopping 53 per cent, crime against women too showed a mixed trend with the number of rape cases falling by four per cent, dowry deaths reducing by 24 per cent but rape-by-cheating increasing by 20 per cent and harassment cases jumping up by 14 per cent.

The rate of rapes in AP is 2.09 per cent against the national average of 5.2 per cent, the police said.

Another worrisome factor has been the 10 per cent rise in cases under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

About 1,302 cases were registered under POCSO Act in 2019, up from 1,169 the previous year.

Roads presented a gory picture with the number of accidents increasing by three per cent and fatalities by six per cent.

In all 1,12,697 cognisable offences, including 5080 election-related, were registered in AP in 2019 till November.

The number was 1,19,541 in 2018.

"Crime rate in AP is 216 per one lakh population compared to the national average of 237," the DGP pointed out.

The overall crime rate in 2019 could be 10 per cent down if the election-related cases were excluded, he added.

The number of murders fell by 11 per cent, kidnapping and abduction by nine per cent and attempt-to-murder by 17 per cent.

Interestingly, 3,207 cases of sand theft were registered in the state this year, a 140 per cent increase over the previous year, because of the scarcity that hit the state for over six months, crippling construction activity after the new government took charge.

Currency counterfeiting cases dropped from 125 in 2018 to 78 in 2019.

The police's talk on road safety notwithstanding, the number of accidents increased by three per cent (16,854 as against 16,430) with East Godavari, Prakasam and Visakhapatnam city topping the chart.

In all 5,425 people were killed this year, marking a six per cent increase, compared to 5,105 last year.

As many as 16,195 people escaped with injuries in the road accidents.

Thanks to a crackdown on illicit sale of liquor, consequent to the new policy brought-in by the YSR Congress government, cases under the AP Excise Act jumped by 66 per cent.

In all 7,720 cases were registered under this head.

The AP Police has declared 2020 as the year of "Women- friendly Policing," inspired by the Disha Act passed by the state Legislature early this month.

"The Disha Act would go a long way in curbing crime against women and children," Sawang remarked.