Vijayawada: Home minister on Tuesday said the overall crime rate in the state declined significantly in 2025, underscoring the success of comprehensive police reforms, technology-driven enforcement and welfare-oriented governance implemented by the Home Department.

Addressing a press conference, the minister said that despite better reporting mechanisms and active registration of cases, total IPC/BNS crimes came down by 6.17 per cent during the year. He described the decline as a strong indicator of improved public safety and effective policing across the state.

The home minister noted sharp reductions in several major crime categories, including riots (53.88 per cent), crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (24.32 per cent), crimes against women (3.82 per cent), POCSO cases (11.4 per cent) and NDPS cases (7.9 per cent).

Detection and recovery in property crimes stood at 56 per cent and 55 per cent respectively, well above the national average of 33.8 per cent. Courts awarded 510 convictions in crimes against women and POCSO cases, including 126 life sentences.

Under Operation TRACE, police traced 1,262 missing girls and 2,648 women within four months. Self-defence training was imparted to 12.95 lakh girls and women across 14,625 institutions.

The installation of 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras helped solve 2,514 cases, while the deployment of 347 drones led to the detection of 6,993 cases. The ERSS-112 emergency response time was reduced by 50 per cent to 15.53 minutes, surpassing national benchmarks.

Cybercrime cases registered through Cyber FIRs declined by 18.94 per cent. An amount of Rs 98 crore was frozen and Rs 3 crore refunded to victims. In anti-narcotics operations, 99,836 kg of ganja was destroyed, 9,478 accused were arrested and ganja cultivation was completely eradicated in Alluri Sitharama Raju district.

The minister said over Rs 815 crore was spent on police welfare, 6,015 constables were recruited and stipends enhanced to Rs 12,000.

In prisons, 20 life convicts were released under special remission, parole rules were revised, and e-Prisons and e-Mulakat systems were strengthened. Drug de-addiction centres were established and proposals submitted for a Rs 200-crore high-security central jail at Amaravati.

Fire services saved 576 lives and protected property worth Rs 1,168.80 crore, while APSPF generated Rs 231.38 crore in revenue. Prosecution agencies secured 110 life sentences.

Significant progress was also made in Sainik Welfare and Disaster Management through advanced lightning alert systems, cyclone preparedness, drone-based monitoring and relief works worth Rs 1,617.79 crore.

The home minister said the achievements reflect the government’s firm commitment to ensuring public safety, strengthening welfare measures and building resilient governance in Andhra Pradesh.