Crime rate declines in NTR district

Vijayawada: Commissioner of Police of NTR district Kanthi Rana Tata said the crime rate decreased in the district in 2023 compared to the previous year of 2022 due to the implementation of conviction-based policing and increased vigil in the crime prone areas and enhancing the night patrol in Vijayawada city and district.

Kanthi Rana said 12,380 crime incidents were reported in 2023 against 15,329 cases in 2022 and 17,174 in 2021. He said increase of police beats and creating awareness among the people on crimes and punishments are giving good results.

Presenting the annual crime report at a press conference at the commissionerate here on Saturday, the Commissioner of Police said that thefts, murders, bodily offences, road accidents and crimes against women came down in the district this year compared to the previous year 2022.

Rana said 32 murder cases were reported in 2023 compared to 42 in 2022 and 49 in 2021. He informed that 66 cases of bodily offences/physical attacks were reported in 2023 against 100 in 2022 thus registering a decline of 34 per cent in cases. The bodily offence cases reported in 2021 were 131.

The Police Commissioner said the night rounds were increased and monitoring enhanced with the installation of 4,000 CC cameras across the city particularly in the crime prone areas. He said the police were dealing very strictly with ganja peddlers, consumers and habitual offenders and registering the PD Act and other cases to check the serious crimes.

Referring to crimes against women, he said 770 cases were reported in 2023 against 911 cases in 2022. He said there has been a decline of 16 per cent in crimes against women due to spreading of awareness among the people on cases to be booked under various sections and formation of Disha teams to deal with the crime against women cases.

Kanthi Rana Tata said 71 cases were booked under POCSO Act in 2023 and 73 in 2022.

Giving details of cyber crimes, the Police Commissioner said 156 cyber crimes were reported in 2023 against 159 in 2022. He said trained police were drafted for duty to deal with the cyber crimes. He said NTR district topped in conviction-based crime investigation in the State and added that AP police were implementing the conviction-based policing since June 2023 and it is giving good results.

He said the district police successfully managed to handle the severe cases related to crime against women and the culprits got punishment in 40 cases in 2023. He said the culprits got life imprisonment in 19 cases and more than 20 years punishment was awarded in two cases.

He said the police were following all rules strictly and collecting evidences to prove the guilt and punish the offenders in crime against the women cases. The Police Commissioner extended New Year 2024 greetings to the people of NTR district.