In last 2 weeks of March, UP saw 65% dip in crime rate

TNN | Updated: Apr 8, 2020, 09:19 IST

Representative image

LUCKNOW: The scare of coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown has meant even criminals are forced to stay indoors. Between March 16 and March 31 this year, there was a 65% dip in crime rate compared to the same period in 2019.
In that period in 2019, 31,441 cases of crime were reported. However, in 2020, only 10,743 cases of crime were reported in the duration.

The cases included major crimes such as rape, murder, loot and crimes against women, among others.A majority of people stayed indoors in the period which included five days of the lockdown too.
UP Police officials claimed the decline was due to intensified patrolling and deployment of policemen with focus on crime-prone areas and initiatives like drone surveillance.
ADG, law and order, PV Ramasastry said that decrease in crime rate can be attributed to a number of factors.
“We intensified patrolling by police response vehicles, while police presence at every crossing led to fear in criminals. In many districts, drones were used for surveillance, leading to a check on criminals,” said Ramasastry. He added that police were planning to continue the exercises even after the lockdown.
Officials of UP 112 said that before the lockdown, the maximum number of complaints in a day (10,000) were of street quarrels and fights. However, after the lockdown, due to closure of liquor shops, such fights had become nil.