KOZHIKODE: Renowned for its rich history, scenic beauty, good food, literature and much more, Kozhikode has now added the tag of being among the most safest cities in the country. The city has been ranked 10th in the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report. Kozhikode is the first city in the state to be ranked in the top 10 in this category.
For a city that was only recently named a city of literature or ‘sahitya nagari’, the safety rankings come as a further shot in the arm for its tourism ambitions.
The ranking was based on the study conducted in 19 cities with a population of more than 20 lakh. Kolkata topped the index. Pune (Maharashtra) and Hyderabad (Telangana) secured the second and third positions respectively. Number of offences, registration of cases, arrests, filing of chargesheets and completion of trials were the main parameters considered.
Cybercrime, extortion, sexual exploitation, suicide rate, violence against women, children, senior citizens, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and environmental crimes were also taken into account.
In 2022, 11,589 cases were registered in Kozhikode city, while it was 3,18,555 in Delhi. Seven people were killed in the city, while there were 45 cases of kidnapping, 759 cases of violence against women, and 26 involving violence against minors. Kozhikode also lags behind in financial crime. A total of 191 cases were registered and 176 people were arrested. Chargesheets were issued against 240 people. It reported 45 cyber crimes in 2022.
The city also lags behind in terms of violence against scheduled tribes (27). That same year, there are 420 cases registered in Lucknow and 376 in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
“We have many firsts to our credit and now being declared as one of the safest cities in the country is yet another feather in our cap,” city mayor Beena Philip said. “The efforts put in by city police, corporation and district administration are commendable. We are working together to add to the laurels, she said.