‘Crime rate low under AIADMK rule’, says Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami

CHENNAI: Taking on Deputy Leader of Opposition Durai Murugan in the Assembly on Monday over the incidence of crimes in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that the crime rate dropped during the AIADMK regime when compared to the previous DMK regime. The number of murders reported in 2005 (AIADMK regime) was 1,366 and it increased to 1,715 in 2010 (DMK regime) but dropped to 1,466 in 2017. When the DMK was in power, the rate of murders grew by 5.1 per cent but it dipped by 2.1 per cent during the AIADMK regime, he said.

Similarly, murders for gain too witnessed a dip during the AIADMK regime. In 2005, the number of murders for gain was 74 and it went up to 153 in 2010 (21.4 per cent increase) but fell to 94 in 2017 registering 5.5 per cent fall. Reading out statistics of various crimes committed during the DMK regime and the AIADMK regime, Palaniswami said murder and dacoity could not be stopped whichever government was at the helm but they could only be reduced.

Responding to Durai Murugan’s charge of increasing incidents of chain-snatching, he said the number of such incidents had dropped due to diligent action of the police including tracking and nabbing the offenders through CCTV footage.

The CM said efforts were on to give counselling and yoga practice for the policemen to reduce stress and noted that the suicides of cops reported were only because of their personal problems. Regarding the issue of orderlies, he informed the House that 86 residential office assistants were provided to IPS officers in order to clean up the orderly system.Earlier, Durai Murugan alleged that the cops were ill-treated by top police officials and their family members.