Bhubaneswar, Jan. 12: The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack city police today claimed that the general crime rate was on the decline.
The annual crime report for 2010 released by the police commissioner showed that the number of cases registered in 2010 was less compared to 2009. Although the number of murder, rape, theft and motor vehicle accident cases went up in 2010 compared to the previous year the overall crime figure showed a decline of 1.7 per cent. The case detection rate went up from 78.6 per cent in 2009 to 80 per cent in 2010.
Releasing the report, police chief B. K. Sharma said in Bhubaneswar Urban Police department 4,417 cases had been registered in 2010, whereas a year before the count was 4,476. In Cuttack Urban Police Department 2,400 cases were registered last year in comparison to 2,459 cases in 2009.
In 2009, 51 murder cases had been registered but it increased to 63 in 2010 with an increase of 23 per cent. Similarly, theft cases have increased by 4 per cent and the motor vehicle accidents have gone up by more that 1 per cent.
In 2010, women were the most vulnerable in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar as the report shows a 30 per cent increase in rape cases, with 60 such cases registered in comparison to 46 rape cases in 2009.
Commenting on the rise in murder and rape cases, the police commissioner said it was not possible to take preventive measures for such crimes. “Offences such as murder and rape are planned. So it is not possible to minimise these offences. But we are trying to detect such cases as quickly as possible and our detection rate in such cases is very high with 100 per cent rape cases detected in 2010,” he said.
The commissioner also pointed that the increase in motorcycle theft has added to the rise in theft cases in the twin cities. In the detection of theft related cases the city police have a poor record with the report showing nearly 40 per cent detection rate. Addressing the media, the commissioner said that after stealing motorcycles, the thieves fled from the twin cities to rural areas and other places. This made it difficult for cops to detect such cases.
In 2010, the city police have effectively cracked cases, with 80 per cent of the registered cases being solved by the twin city police. Out of 6,817 cases registered last year, the police have solved 5,425 cases.
Besides the city police have detected 1,95,340 traffic offences in 2010 which means a 29 per cent increase in comparison to 2009. The police have charged a compounding fine of Rs 2,88,01,500 from the offenders, which is a 44 per cent rise on the previous year. The report also showed that after the enforcement of Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition) Act (COTPA) in April last year in the Capital city, the police have detected 5,912 violators and have realised Rs 6,89,450 as fine from them.
The commissioner also said there had been a sharp rise in sex rackets in the city with many people getting involved in this illegal trade. The city police have been trying to minimise such cases by arresting the culprits and booking them under immoral traffic prevention act.
He even said the police had asked the government to enact the Orissa Control of Organised Crime Act to prevent planned crimes.
