The number of property-related crimes in the Nilgiris, as well as the number of road fatalities has decreased in 2018, according to statistics from the district crime records bureau of the Nilgiris police.

Speaking to reporters, the Nilgiris District Superintendent of Police D. Shanmuga Priya, said that the number of property-related crimes reduced by 17 % from a total of 114 cases in 2017 to just 94 this calendar year. Moreover, the district SP said that of the 94 reported cases, 93 cases have been solved by the police, with almost 97 % of the stolen property being recovered.

Ms. Shanmuga Priya also added that there were only six murders across the district in 2018, the same as the previous year, with all the murders resulting due to quarrels. “None of the murders were pre-planned, indicating that there were only few criminal elements within the district,” added the SP.

While the number of minor accidents in the district saw a slight increase, the number of fatal accidents decreased from 40 in 2017 to 28 in 2018, added Ms. Shanmuga Priya.

“We have tried to make dangerous roads safer, with the installation of the drop gate at the Kalhatti check post, fixed blinkers at the Kattery Junction, and have also installed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at five checkposts across the district to track any criminal elements entering or exiting the district,” said Ms. Shanmuga Priya.

The district police also said that an additional Naxal Special Division (NSD) team has been formed, taking the total of NSD teams up to three units. Meanwhile, police have conducted various outreach programmes including health camps in tribal villages.

More than 1,500 people from tribal communities were given medical checks during the eight health camps, with 122 people being given free spectacles, and 36 people being sent to Coimbatore for further treatment. “During the medical camps, six children were also diagnosed with heart-related ailments, and it is a matter of pride for the district police that we managed to catch the ailments at the right time and send the children for further treatment to Coimbatore,” said Ms. Shanmuga Priya,