Fewer incidents of snatching, dacoity in 2012

Though the number of heinous crimes went up in Delhi, incidents of street crime saw a decline. HT reports.

Though the number of heinous crimes went up in Delhi, incidents of street crime saw a decline.

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Cases of snatching — considered the bane of the police till last year — declined from 1,476 to 1,440: a decrease of a little over 2%.

Dacoity cases, too, dipped from 33 to 28 with more than 96% instances leading to arrests and the neutralisation of gangs perpetrating it.

“The reason behind the decreasing numbers lies in better visibility, quality investigation and a drive against proclaimed offenders and those with a history of being involved in such cases,” said an officer.

According to police, there were sustained drives against nabbing as many members of snatching gangs as possible. This culminated in the arrests of over 1,533 persons.

Snatching stayed true to its epithet ‘gateway crime’ since 86% of the criminals arrested for the crime were first-timers. More than half of them were illiterate or school dropouts.

“Even when it comes to other crimes such as robbery, which has registered an increase in the number of incidents, the detection rate of such crimes has been exceptional: near 90%,” a police officer said.

“Even cases of hurt, which used to be registered during roadside confrontations, saw a decline. They decreased from 1,882 in 2011 to 1,616 cases in 2012. This too is because of higher visibility and a strong community connect,” the officer added.