Major crimes decreasing in Bengaluru, says Home Minister
Bengaluru, (DHNS): Major crimes decreasing in Bengaluru says Home Minister
2K-page report on prison irregularities
Retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar has submitted a fact-finding report running into 2,000 pages on irregularities inside the Bengaluru Central prisons at Parappana Agrahara. “The report has come. It is with the secretariat. I will receive it, go through its recommendations and then decide on the next step,” Reddy said. The committee was formed in July after IPS officer D Roopa accused senior officials of receiving bribes to provide VIP treatment to inmates such as ousted AIADMK leader V K Sasikala.
While National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data show a spike in crimes in Bengaluru, Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Monday claimed that major crimes in the city were on a downward trend.
Bengaluru reported 45,797 crimes under the IPC, trailing behind Delhi (1.99 lakh) and overtaking Mumbai (39,617), according to the NCRB’s latest Crime in India 2016 report.
“But, if you look at major crimes such as murder, dacoity and chain-snatching in Bengaluru, the number is decreasing year on year,” Reddy told a press conference. “In 2015, the number of major crimes reported was 17,435. This is down to 14,467 in 2017,” he said.
Reddy, however, did not explain the low rate of crime detection in Bengaluru. For example, only 3,885 major crimes out of 14,467 this year have been detected, working out to a dismal 26% rate of detection. “The average rate of crime detection in Karnataka is 60%, which is the highest in India,” he said.
Karnataka stands 10th among Indian states for total cognisable crimes registered. “Karnataka’s share of cognisable crimes last year was just 5%,” he said. The BJP-ruled Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh occupy the first four places in that order, the minister said.
At present, Reddy said Karnataka has one police constable for 550 citizens. “Our government has recruited 26,000 constables and 1,650 sub-inspectors. The BJP, on the other hand, recruited only 11,000 personnel when it was in power,” he said.
The minister also said the Home Department was yet to assess the requirement of police personnel to enforce the Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, which has been passed by the legislature.
