There has been 47 per cent rise in rape cases in Mumbai this year, as compared to the previous year's statistics, Praja Foundation has claimed.
In its annual report “State of policing and law and order in Mumbai,” published here on Tuesday, the NGO has said that molestation cases have gone up by a whopping 52 per cent. But researchers said the rise in number was mainly due to the proactive nature of police which encouraged a higher rate of registration of cases.
“According to our data, 294 rape cases were registered in 2012-13. But the corresponding figure for this year is 432. Similarly, 793 molestation cases were registered in 2012-13, and 1209 were registered this year. That is because the rate of registration has gone up. This indicates a proactive and positive role being played by the Mumbai Police,” Milind Mhaske, project director at Praja told The Hindu .
While the number of cases being registered are increasing, the conviction rate remains abysmally low. “Conviction rate in class II serious offences, related to murder, rape, hurt, etc, is eight per cent only in the year 2013. It has shown a slight improvement over the previous year when the conviction rate was seven per cent,” Nitai Mehta, founder and managing trustee of Praja Foundation, said at a press meet here.
The overall conviction rate is 22 per cent. The survey has also found that the police need to put in lot of hard work to change the public perception about themselves. “Many people we talked to, believed that police may harass them if they approach them with problems,” Mr. Mhaske said. Another segment where the crime rate has jumped up considerably, is chain snatching. From 1269 cases in 2012-13 to 2110 cases this year.
According to the survey conducted by Praja this year, 36 per cent feel the city is not secure for women, children and senior citizens. 36 per cent didn't feel safe while travelling within the city.
The report has shed light on the behaviour of Mumbaikars while responding to crime. It said that 34 per cent of those who faced or witnessed a crime, did not report it “because they didn't have time.” 28 per cent said they didn't report because they didn't want to get involved in any trouble. While 42 per cent of those who reported, said they were happy with the police response. The report said there was a crying need for more police force at all stages to ensure better handling of cases and better investigation.
