VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has recorded a 7.5 per cent decline in crimes against women in 2020, compared to 2019. Same is the case with cognisable crimes, which declined by 16 per cent this year, bodily offences by 2 per cent, property offences by 12 per cent and white collar offences by 13 per cent.
Disclosing this at the year-end annual press conference here on Wednesday, Director General of Police D Gautam Sawang said that crimes against women is one area, where a lot needs to be done. A total of 12,784 crimes against women were reported in the State in 2020. “Women’s safety has a social dimension,’’ he said.
Highlighting the measures being taken by the Police Department to ensure safety of women, he said majority of women hesitate to come forward to complain with the police about the crimes against them. “We are facilitating the victims to report crime through various means like Spandana, Disha mobile application, friendly policing and women’s friendly reception centres at every police station. With the initiatives, there has been an increase in reporting of cases by women,” Sawang said.
‘Special forensic labs coming up in Vizag, Tirupati, Vijayawada’
Referring to the steps being taken under the Disha Act, the DGP said that 99 per cent of the cases were disposed of (completion of investigation) within seven days of receiving the complaint. Chargesheets were filed within seven days in as many as 379 cases. As part of Disha initiatives, the police registered as many as 683 cases and 73 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
In the next 10 days, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will launch Disha investigation mobile phone for all-in-one purpose, including medical aid, other needs and all related activities. Special forensic laboratories are coming up in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati where the DNA report tests will be given within 48 hours, which help police nab the perpetrators of crimes against women, he said.
The other initiative is setting up of Disha courts. Disha prosecutors will be appointed. Control rooms and helpline numbers will be set up. The entire machinery with regard to women’s issues and safety will be strengthened by the time the Disha Act is implemented in a full-fledged manner, the DGP said.
Recently, a team of police officers from Maharashtra visited the State to study the initiatives being implemented in AP under the Disha Act for women’s safety.
“When it comes to Spandana programme, a total of 96,551 petitions were filed in 2020 and of which 52 per cent are by women. Of them, FIRs were filed in 21,827 (23 per cent) cases and 70,754 (73 per cent) cases were disposed of. About 4,150 (four percent) cases are pending,’’ the DGP said.
The crimes against children increased in the State by 13 per cent this year compared to 2019. As many as 1,598 cases were registered under the POCSO Act this year, compared to 1,386 cases in 2019, he said.
On the services rendered by police during Covid-19, Sawang said that apart from doctors and sanitary workers, police also served as frontline warriors in the State in containing the spread of virus by strictly enforcing the lockdown. As part of it, 109 policemen fell victim to Covid-19. Around 14,000 police personnel were infected by the virus.
Commenting on the remarks made by some political parties against the police, the DGP said they do not react as the department is functioning strictly adhering to the rules. “We don’t have freedom to speak against those kind of statements which may be motivated and without any accountability,” the DGP said.
Referring to the court observations, he said they are remarks and not verdicts. Police shouldn’t comment on the observations made by the courts. Those comments also cannot be adjudicated. These are all constitutional enshrined institutions and police cannot comment on the remarks made by some political parties without any accountability, the DGP added.
no move to impose curfew: DGP
DGP Gautam Sawang dismissed speculations circulating on various social media platforms on imposition of night curfew in the State from December 26 to January 1, 2021 amid fears of a new mutant strain of coronavirus