Of every 100 murders in the city, 80-odd are committed by people from the economically-weak section, living in slums. And most criminals in the city have migrated from other states in search of a living.

This was revealed by a “first-ever” sociological survey of crimes by Calcutta Police. “The study has covered all cases recorded in the past year,” said a senior officer at the Lalbazar police headquarters.

The spurt in crime over the past few years has prompted the police to undertake the study. “The findings will provide an insight into the psyche of the criminals and help us take effective preventive measures. We will also seek opinion from sociologists and other experts before finalising our strategy,” the officer added.

Quoting from the findings, he said 70-80 per cent of the murder accused in the city are from “poor socio-economic” backgrounds. Around 80 murder cases and 122 attempt-to-murder cases were reported in the past year.

The survey has also pointed out that “local criminals” are gradually fading away, yielding ground to those coming to the city from other states in search of “menial jobs”.

“Be it robbery, murder, snatching, drug-peddling or assault on women, these outsiders are making their presence felt. They live in slums across the city,” said an officer of the anti-rowdy section of the detective department.

Deputy commissioner (detective department) Gyanwant Singh said the poor are being drawn to crime in increasing numbers. “This is a fallout of the increased friction within our society. Besides, the frustration level of a large section of people is going up as the struggle for existence becomes tougher by the day, and this is resulting in the spurt in crime,” he explained.

Citing a case which is indicative of the expanding sweep of violence, Singh said a youth had to pay with his life last week for putting on his cousin’s new shoes.

In December last year, a pedestrian was throttled to death after he tried to pacify two drunken men fighting each other near the Lakes.

“Poverty and crime always go hand in hand,” said sociologist Prasanto Roy. “The co-relation is more pronounced today, as the desperation level of the people engaged in earning a living is on the rise. Besides, the poor are getting more exposed to the culture of affluence, and are being tempted to commit crimes for easy money.”

A senior officer agreed: “Poverty takes a toll on the people’s psyche and this manifests in crime. Because of a lack of education, these people are unaware of the consequences of their action.”

The city police plan to coordinate with some NGOs to set up cells in slums. “The basic problems of these people need to be addressed first. With the help of NGOs, we plan to give a platform to these people and make them aware of the outcome of their action,” an officer said.