Ghaziabad: Encounters favoured by police to tackle criminals, marginal increase in average number of cases

As many as 901 cases were registered, on an average, every month this year, compared to 879 and 755 in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

In the last 11 months, the Ghaziabad police engaged in 27 encounters, in which 77 alleged criminals were arrested. The number of instances of police taking on suspects in encounters has increased but the crime records show that there has been a marginal increase in total crimes.

Residents said police presence on roads has increased. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

As many as 901 cases were registered, on an average, every month this year, compared to 879 and 755 in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

During the encounters, in which police claim to have acted in retaliatory response, seven police personnel sustained injuries.

Major crimes such as robberies, burglaries, vehicle thefts and other thefts, which directly affect the public, have reduced marginally over the year from 2016.

According to records, the district recorded 96 cases of burglaries in 2015, 150 in 2016 and another 144 in the first 11 months of 2017.

Instances of robberies marginally increased from 96 in 2015 to 105 in 2016. So far, 100 robbery cases were registered in 2017.

Despite the marginal change in figures, residents said the police have improved their response to issues.

Residents also said police presence on roads has increased.

“Instances of chain snatching have decreased of late. This could be due to fear among criminals after recent encounters. The police response vehicles are also seen on roads. In a recent meeting with the police, we observed that officers were not reluctant to admit their lapses and assured us that these will be resolved. This is an encouraging trend,” Alok Kumar, president of the federation of association of apartment owners, Indirapuram, said.

Likewise, instances of murder have decreased in 2017, compared to 2016 and 2015.

So far in 2017, 108 murders have been recorded, compared to figures of 124 and 130 in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

However, the city has also witnessed several daylight murders, such as the murder of BJP leader Gajendra Bhati in Khoda, the murder of Haji Harun in Maharajpur and that of SP Singh, builder, who was gunned down in his office on November 9 in Shalimar Garden. In all the three cases, the police arrested the conspirators and other accused.

The other major category, of crime against women, has declined marginally in 2017. In the first 11 months, 106 cases of rape have been registered, which is fewer than 132 and 109 instances, registered in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

In one incident, a young woman was waylaid on her way home by two men near NH-58 on September 22 and gang-raped.

However, there has been no decline in instances of molestation. Nearly 260 cases have been registered from January to November this year, compared to 264 in 2016 and 207 in 2015.

“The police have remained ineffective in tackling crimes. Officers are relying on spreading messages of good work on social media but on the ground level, the city has witnessed several crimes in broad daylight. We feel that criminals still don’t fear the police. On the encounters, we can say these are by design and not by accident,” Colonel (retd) TP Tyagi, president of flat owners’ federation, said.

Cases of chain snatching have dipped to 22 in 2017, from 32 and 40 in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

HN Singh, senior superintendent of police, Ghaziabad, said the police have been active in tackling criminals and booking people under sections of the Goonda Act and Gangster Act.

“We are also monitoring activities of criminals in jail and also those who have been released. We have also sent a proposal for
five more police stations,” SSP Singh said.

“We have strictly asked officers to register FIRs, especially in cases related to women and children. We have stressed on the need for attitude change among our personnel,” he said.

In 2017, 128 cases were registered against different persons under the provisions of the Gangster Act. In 2016 and 2015, a total of 125 and 112 cases were registered, respectively. This year, the police booked different persons in 673 cases of the Goonda Act while 587 and 430 were booked in 2016 and 2015, respectively.