Despite elaborate steps by Delhi Police to ensure safety of women in the national capital, there is a sharp rise in the number of rape cases. Nearly 96 percent of offenders are either related or known to victims, say police.
A total of 706 rape cases were reported in Delhi 2012 as compared to 572 in 2011. However, the incidence of rape per lakh population has shown a steady decline, coming down from 4.42 per lakh in 2005 to 4.15 per lakh in 2011.
Addressing the annual press conference of the Delhi Police, Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said that the brutal gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student inside a moving bus in Delhi Dec 16 was "a turning point" in rape cases.
Many elaborate steps have since been initiated by the force to ensure the safety of women.
"To reduce crime against women and make Delhi safer for women, we have taken elaborate measures. We have had a women's help desk that is now operational 24x7. When a woman complainant comes to a police station, jurisdiction will not be made an issue. Each deputy commissioner will go out for patrolling till midnight. We have introduced additional pickets. Each thana-level (police station) committee will be re-constituted to include women's NGOs. There will be zero tolerance for eve teasing," Kumar asserted.
Delhi Police statistics showed that rape was usually committed by someone known to or related to the victim; 96 percent of rape-accused are known to the victim, while only 3.68 percent of rape accused are complete strangers, according to Delhi Police.
"Except for 26 cases reported in the year 2012, the accused were known to the victims in all other cases. This makes prevention of such crimes comparatively more difficult. These are opportunistic crimes, committed in private spaces," Kumar said.
As far as molestation of women cases were concerned, in 2011, 727 such cases were reported. Of these, police claimed to have solved 94 percent.
The police commissioner said there is a women's desk in each police station, and a helpline, at number 1091, dedicated to women.
NGOs working in women's empowerment are associated with each of the police stations.
"We have so far received 602 calls on the women's helpline," the Delhi Police commissioner said.