Guwahati, Jan 17, 2023, IANS

Guwahati, Jan 17 (IANS) The crime rate in Assam has decreased substantially over the last one year, claimed state DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta.

The criminal activity in the state, which was at an average of 366 cases per lakh of population, has now come down to 200 cases per lakh of population due to various steps taken by the police, said the Director General of Police (DGP) while speaking to the media here on Monday evening.

He said that the case pendency has also drastically come down to 58,908 cases at the end of 2022 as against 95,994 cases at the end of 2021 and more than a lakh cases at the end of 2020.

"This will improve the 1.0 to case ratio and thereby enhance the quality of investigation and supervision. Further, the number of cases per investigation officer on an average has come down to 25 cases as against 52 cases at the end of 2021," the top cop mentioned.

As per the data released by the police, crime against women has also drastically come down to 12,034 cases in 2022 as against 29,046 cases in 2021 and also against an annual average of 27,240 cases during the period 2017-2021.

"This is due to the setting up of Special Cells for Women in collaboration with TATA Institute of Social Sciences, coordinated approach by all stakeholders like the Assam Police, Social Welfare Department, NGOs, etc., and due to capacity building and sensitisation programmes for the Assam Police," Mahanta said.

The crimes against children have come down to 4,306 as against 5,282 in the previous year. The number of Human trafficking cases have also dipped to 96 cases as against 203 in the previous year.

The state police have set up Anti-Human Trafficking Units in each district and provided infrastructure to all the Anti-Human Trafficking Units under Nirbhaya Fund.

The police data revealed that cybercrimes reported in the state have also come down to 1,781 cases as against 4,846 cases in the year 2021.

Meanwhile, the Assam Police have registered 2,878 cases under the NDPS Act cases in 2022 as against 455 cases in 2018, 828 cases in 2019, 980 cases in 2020 and 2,271 cases in 2021. Police arrested 4,691 drug traffickers, seized 112 kg of Heroin, 49,000 kg of Ganja, 52 lakh tablets, more than 21 lakh Cough Syrup bottles, 215 kgs of Opium, etc., in 2022.

The DGP moreover said that the use of technology and forensics by Assam Police is now the focus area and a lot of steps are being taken to use scientific aids in investigation and to set up new Regional and Mobile Forensic Science Laboratories in various parts of the state.