Fall in crime rate in Hyderabad this year: police commissioner

Hyderabad witnessed 14 per cent fall in overall crime in 2015 compared to the last year, though, in a notable development, 17 youths were counseled by the police after they got attracted to on line propaganda of the ISIS. The number of cases registered under the Indian Penal Code and other laws by city police this year was 18,375 against 21,285 in 2014. "There has been a reduction of 14 per cent in overall crime and 16-17 per cent in property offences, 35 per cent in loss of property cases. Under all the heads of crime there has been by and large decrease, except in robbery cases where we have registered chain snatching too as robbery cases," police commissioner M Mahender Reddy said at a press conference here. In 2014, 54 robbery cases had been registered and number rose to 92 this year. As to the crime against women, 2,244 cases were registered this year against 2,241 last year, with majority of the cases being about harassment (1,523 this year against 1,303 last year). Reddy noted that 17 youngsters, found to be "self-motivated" towards ISIS activities through social networks, were counselled in the presence of their parents. The crime was under control and police undertook several initiatives for building communal trust, reaching out and forging partnership with the community for crime prevention and detection and maintenance of law and order, Reddy said. The fall in crime could be attributed to measures like action under the Preventive Detention Act against habitual criminal, crime tracking system, intensive patrolling, cordon and search operations, integrated criminal verification of known offenders and installation of community CCTVs, he said. As to the cyber crime, 352 cases were registered in 2015 against 392 last year, and 154 persons including 13 Nigerians were arrested. Sixteen cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and 37 persons including eight Nigerians were arrested.