E-Paper
Crime rate against women lowest in Coimbatore, Chennai: NCRB data
In Chennai, the crimes against women have been declining -- 761 in 2018; 729 in 2019; and 576 in 2020. In Coimbatore, the number of crimes against women was 107 in 2018 which dipped to 85 in 2019 and went up to 97 in 2020, according to NCRB data
Chennai: Coimbatore and Chennai in Tamil Nadu have registered the lowest crime rate against women among 19 big cities in the country, according to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2020.
The rate of crime, which is incidence per 100,000 population, against women last year is 9 in Coimbatore, 13.4 in Chennai, 37.5 in Kochi, 67.3 in Bengaluru, and 53.8 in Mumbai. The crime rate is highest in Lucknow (190.7); it’s 162.9 in Jaipur and 129.1 in Delhi, according to the NCRB data.
In Chennai, the crimes against women have been declining -- 761 in 2018; 729 in 2019; and 576 in 2020. The city has a charge sheeting rate of 96.8%. In Coimbatore, the number of crimes against women was 107 in 2018 which dipped to 85 in 2019 and went up to 97 in 2020 with a charge-sheeting rate of 97.9%, the data shows.
In terms of absolute numbers, big cities in Kerala had fewer crimes last year compared to Chennai. Kochi recorded 403 crimes and Kozhikode 294 whereas Chennai had 576. Coimbatore with 97 crimes last year stands at the lowest in the country.
The difference also reflects the calculation of the crime rate as per 100,000 population and Chennai is the largest among these four cities. The populations of Chennai, Coimbatore, Kochi and Kozhikode are 4.31 million, 1.07 million, 1.08 million, 1.06 million, respectively.
Experts say the lowest crime rate against women in Tamil Nadu cities can be attributed to two factors -- lack of reporting and prevention mechanisms. “When there is a declining trend, we have to see through the data from various intersections. Are they complaining? If so, are their reports being considered and registered or dismissed? Even in urban areas, there is stigma against reporting gender-based crimes. Some women get used to this and fail to report instances of sexual harassment in public places like buses,” said Sandhiyan Thiyagaran, founder of AWARE (Awareness for Women to Advocate their Rights and Empowerment) India.
“However, compared to other metros in the country, in Tamil Nadu the law enforcement agencies help prevent crimes against women, such as by patrolling and installing CCTVs. We have a few deterrents that other metros may not have in equal measure.”
Amongst the 19 big cities, those reporting highest charge-sheeting rate under IPC crimes are Surat (96.7%), Coimbatore (96.6%) and Ahmedabad (96.3%). Among the states, Gujarat reported 97.1% charge-sheeting rate, Kerala 94.9% and Tamil Nadu 91.7%.
