In many ways, Tamil Nadu is a unique state. It is known for its high level of literacy, community harmony, and good maintenance of law and order. In recent years, however, there have been growing concerns about the rising crime rate in the state. The crime rate is the number of recorded crimes per 1,00,000 people. Figures released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) revealed an increase in the number of crimes reported in TN. A quick internet search would turn up several alarming articles supporting the NCRB data. Some may even portray TN as more dangerous than Bihar or Jharkhand! Are these reports accurate? Is there a higher incidence of crime in TN than in most other states?
CID and the author of Soliloquies on Future
Police. He can be contacted
at www.jayanthmurali.com
According to NCRB data, TN tops the list of states with the most IPC cases. The number of cases filed in the state under CPI was 3.23 lakh in 2021, 8.91 lakh in 2020 and 1.68 lakh in 2019. The sharp rise in TN’s crime graph of 430% in 2020 may sound alarming, but a careful examination of the data would reveal that a large proportion of the cases relate to the violation of Covid-19 standards. Similarly, NCRB data for 2021 shows that murder cases have declined in TN, but the state leads in murder cases involving seniors.
A total of 191 murder cases were recorded, in which 202 people over the age of 60 were killed. This represented 11.3% of the 1,686 recorded murder cases. This could be attributed to the fact that TN has a higher percentage of the elderly population. According to the Elderly in India Report 2021, released by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, the percentage of elderly people in TN is expected to be 13.6%, the second highest in India after Kerala at 16.5%. But data can distort facts; for example, viewed from a percentage perspective, Kerala has the highest percentage of murders of the elderly at 17.2% of total murders.
Additionally, TN was ranked second in India for the number of reported suicides in 2021, according to NCRB data, with the state recording 18,925 suicides (behind Maharashtra with 22,207), accounting for 11.5% of the number. total number of suicides recorded in the country. . Similarly, the state was second in “traffic accident deaths”, with 15,384 victims in 2021, behind Uttar Pradesh, which recorded 21,792. Suicides have individual and socio-economic causes . Many Western countries have decriminalized suicide. Accident cases are handled civilly and criminally because, in 99% of cases, there is no criminal intent to cause an accident. They do happen, but the police can prevent and reduce accidents by taking criminal action for wrongdoing such as drunk driving, not wearing helmets, speeding, etc. Better law enforcement inflates the state’s crime rate due to increased case registration.
TN may be one of the states with a high crime rate, but people here feel safer than in other parts of the country. A high crime rate does not necessarily mean that the state is plagued by crime. This could mean free registration of cases and therefore greater public confidence in the police. TN has a high literacy rate. Education empowers, raises awareness and encourages people to approach the police to request intervention in problems that would never be reported in less developed states.
Therefore, a high crime rate is not something to worry about as it indicates the effectiveness of the police and the trust people have in them. Many of the safest countries in the world have the highest crime rates – Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK. Sweden and Denmark have crime rates above 6,000 crimes per lakh of the population, while countries like Somalia, Iraq, Nigeria and Haiti have crime rates below five. Thus, relying solely on the crime rate can often be misleading. As British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics.
Footnote is a weekly column that discusses issues relating to Tamil Nadu
Misleading
Most of the safest countries like Sweden and Denmark have the highest crime rates. Sweden and Denmark have crime rates above 6,000 crimes per lakh of the population, while Somalia, Iraq, Nigeria and Haiti have crime rates below five. So relying solely on the crime rate can often be misleading.
In many ways, Tamil Nadu is a unique state. It is known for its high level of literacy, community harmony, and good maintenance of law and order. In recent years, however, there have been growing concerns about the rising crime rate in the state. The crime rate is the number of recorded crimes per 1,00,000 people. Figures released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) revealed an increase in the number of crimes reported in TN. A quick internet search would turn up several alarming articles supporting the NCRB data. Some may even portray TN as more dangerous than Bihar or Jharkhand! Are these reports accurate? Is there a higher incidence of crime in TN than in most other states? Dr. K Jayanth Murali, IPS, is DGP Idol-Wing CID and the author of Soliloquies on Future Policing. He can be reached at www.jayanthmurali.com According to NCRB data, TN tops the list of states with the most IPC cases. The number of cases filed in the state under CPI was 3.23 lakh in 2021, 8.91 lakh in 2020 and 1.68 lakh in 2019. The sharp rise in TN’s crime graph of 430% in 2020 may sound alarming, but a careful examination of the data would reveal that a large proportion of the cases relate to the violation of Covid-19 standards. Similarly, NCRB data for 2021 shows that murder cases have declined in TN, but the state leads in murder cases involving seniors. A total of 191 murder cases were recorded, in which 202 people over the age of 60 were killed. This represented 11.3% of the 1,686 recorded murder cases. This could be attributed to the fact that TN has a higher percentage of the elderly population. According to the Elderly in India Report 2021, released by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, the percentage of elderly people in TN is expected to be 13.6%, the second highest in India after Kerala at 16.5%. But data can distort facts; for example, viewed from a percentage perspective, Kerala has the highest percentage of murders of the elderly at 17.2% of total murders. Additionally, TN was ranked second in India for the number of reported suicides in 2021, according to NCRB data, with the state recording 18,925 suicides (behind Maharashtra with 22,207), accounting for 11.5% of the number. total number of suicides recorded in the country. . Similarly, the state was second in “traffic accident deaths”, with 15,384 victims in 2021, behind Uttar Pradesh, which recorded 21,792. Suicides have individual and socio-economic causes . Many Western countries have decriminalized suicide. Accident cases are handled civilly and criminally because, in 99% of cases, there is no criminal intent to cause an accident. They do happen, but the police can prevent and reduce accidents by taking criminal action for wrongdoing such as drunk driving, not wearing helmets, speeding, etc. Better law enforcement inflates the state’s crime rate due to increased case registration. TN may be one of the states with a high crime rate, but people here feel safer than in other parts of the country. A high crime rate does not necessarily mean that the state is plagued by crime. This could mean free registration of cases and therefore greater public confidence in the police. TN has a high literacy rate. Education empowers, raises awareness and encourages people to approach the police to request intervention in problems that would never be reported in less developed states. Therefore, a high crime rate is not something to worry about as it indicates the effectiveness of the police and the trust people have in them. Many of the safest countries in the world have the highest crime rates – Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK. Sweden and Denmark have crime rates above 6,000 crimes per lakh of the population, while countries like Somalia, Iraq, Nigeria and Haiti have crime rates below five. Thus, relying solely on the crime rate can often be misleading. As British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics. The footnote is a weekly column that deals with issues relating to Tamil Nadu. Deception Most of the safest countries like Sweden and Denmark have the highest crime rates. Sweden and Denmark have crime rates above 6,000 crimes per lakh of the population, while Somalia, Iraq, Nigeria and Haiti have crime rates below five. So relying solely on the crime rate can often be misleading.