When it comes to grave crimes, city racing ahead

KOCHI: How grave are crimes in the city? Pretty bad, if you go by city police records that show 47% increase in crimes of a grave nature in 2013 compared to 2012.
The figure is startling as the police had increased both surveillance and patrolling over the last year.
According to data available with the police, 122 grave crimes were reported in the city in 2013 compared to 83 in 2012.On the positive side, they managed to book culprits in as many as 117 cases out of the 122 reported in the city last year.
While murder cases decreased from nine in 2012 to six in 2013, the number of attempt to murder cases increased to 22 in 2013 from 10 the previous year. But there was no murder for gain reported in the city.
The rape and attempt to rape cases also increased from 28 in 2012 to 40 in 2013. The number of abduction cases also registered an increase in 2013 with 10 as against six in 2012. As per the data, police registered nine cases of kidnapping women last year and found culprits in eight of the reported cases. The city also witnessed two cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder last year. No such cases were reported in the city in 2012. City police commissioner K G James denied that the city has witnessed any increase in crime.
"The crime rate in fact declined in the city last year compared to the previous year. In most of the rape cases that was reported last year, the accused was known to the victim and committed the offence after promising to marry the victim," he said.
"Many express their feelings violently in such a society to find a solution for their issues. Unfortunately, nobody was ready to act against such criminal activities. It is also an indication of the fascist nature of the society," said Dr K S David, a psychiatrist based in the city.
However, the city registered 23% decline in total number of crimes, which includes both major and minor crimes, in 2013. As per the data, the total number of cases registered in the city declined to 12,490 in 2013 from 16,280 in 2012. The number of other Indian Penal Code (IPC) cases declined by 24% from 15,181 in 2012 to 11,539 in 2013. But 24 cases of criminal breach of trust were reported last year as against seven in the previous year.