Crime declines during lockdown

JAIPUR: Rajasthan registered a decrease in crimes and road accident deaths during the lockdown enforced to fight coronavirus, show police department figures.

The state had gone into a partial lockdown on March 15 before a 21-day nationwide lockdown was enforced on March 24 to contain coronavirus outbreak. Schools, colleges, theatres and many o t her publi c pl a c e s remained closed in Rajasthan since March 15.

The decrease in the number of crimes can be attributed to the lockdown during which police maintained vigil to ensure that people stay inside their homes and there is no mass gathering, officials said.

Additional director general of police (ADGP), crime, Bhagwan Lal Soni said that from March 1 to March 15, a total of 13,275 first information reports (FIRS) were registered and between March 16 and March 31, the number decl i ned t o 6 7 0 4 , a 4 9 . 9 5 % decrease.

Street crimes, such as robbery, kidnapping and rape, have declined by 14% between March 1 and March 31 in the state compared to the same period last year. “Though it’s the priority of the state government to register an FIR immediately once a complaint is submitted, the crime has reduced. The decline in crime will be more visible in April,” said Soni.

The senior police officer said the fatalities in road accidents have come down in March compared to last year. “In March 2019, as many as 2645 died in road accidents which has reduced to 2529 this year, which means 116 less deaths,” ADGP said.

The street crimes which have witnessed a decline are robbery by 33.60%, kidnapping by 16%, riots by 57.5%, theft by 20.03% and rape by 1.7%.