Crime detection rate in Visakhapatnam police commissionerate has dropped sharply.
Senior police officers say this is mainly due to shortage of manpower and adjusting available force for bandobust duties.
There has been a huge increase in the number of national and international events happening and VVIP movements in the city.
In the eight months that have passed in this year, the recovery rate stands at 43 per cent and the detection rate 30 per cent.
While in 2015, the crime wing of the commissionerate closed the year with figures of 43 per cent (recovery) and 48 per cent (detection), in 2014 it was 53 and 52 per cent.
Even if the first eight months of the corresponding years were to be considered the detection rate was over 35 per cent.
“This is a worrying factor. While the recovery rate can be said to be close to satisfactory, there is a drop in the crime detection rate, and there are quite a few reasons, which include man power shortage and bandobust duties affecting normal policing,” said a senior officer.
While there is a drop in certain grave crimes such as house breaking by day and snatching cases, there is an increase in house breaking by night, general theft and two-wheeler thefts and robbery.
Positive note
But the striking positive note is the sharp decline in murder for gains. So far there has been just one case under this category, while in 2015 it was seven and in 2014 it was nine.
According to the Commissioner of Police of Visakhapatnam T. Yoganand, the existing strength in Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates are 14,716 and 7131 respectively while the total number of FIRs in both the commissionerates are around 19,000 in a year for a population of 77.5 lakh.
In comparison Visakhapatnam has a population of about 25 lakh and the number of cases booked in a year at various police stations is around 7,800, and the police strength is close 3,300.
According to another senior officer in the Crime Department, there is a requirement of at least 1,000 men under various ranks, which includes women force.
The women in the present force constitute about 2.3 per cent when the norms prescribe at least 33 per cent.
Over-stressed
Sources in the police say while on one hand the city of Visakhapatnam is being marketed well across the globe, with the increased number of national and international events, on the other hand the meagre force is over-burdened affecting normal policing.
