VIJAYAWADA: The overall crime rate in the city went up by 23 per cent in 2021 compared to last year. A rise of 39.95 per cent in cases pertaining to crimes against women (CAW) was also seen. As many as 1,384 cases were registered under various crimes against women in 2021 compared to 831 cases in 2020.
City commissioner of police (CP) Kanthi Rana Tata attributed the rise in numbers to the performance of police personnel and “Free registration of FIRs’ and various outreach programs initiated by the department. He told, “Earlier, women used to hesitate to lodge complaints. But, the scenario has changed now and one can see women thronging to police stations to report their grievances. Police have gained their trust.”
Presenting the statistics for the year 2021 at the annual crime review meeting held at the City Police Office on Friday, Rana informed that 512 cases were reported at the Disha police station. He added that most of the chargesheets have been filed and disposed off to courts for further action. “Through Disha SoS mobile application, we have received 542 grievances and filed 91 FIRs,” he said.
He further appreciated the efforts of the Central Crime Station (CCS) sleuths for recovering more than 74 per cent of the lost property during the year and arresting the accused in more than 61 per cent of cases.
“In addition, we laid focus on the increasing road mishaps in the city and yielded good results by preventing them effectively. Cybercrime is another aspect where Vijayawada city police fared better. Due to the huge awareness created on cybercrimes, fewer cases were recorded compared to the previous year. Cybercrime police have recovered 42 per cent of the lost property,” the city police commissioner said. He further discussed important cases reported in the year and investigations carried out by the police.
The CP also praised the efforts of the city police for showing professionalism and extreme dedication while dealing with sensational cases and winning ABCD (Award for Best in Crime Detection) Awards.
“Vijayawada city police will act tough against illegal activities and anti-social elements. In this regard, 13 rowdy-sheeters were externed from the city and 40 new rowdy sheets have been opened,” CP Rana said.
