By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala has the highest crime rate in the country, according to an official report, but Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan says that this is because there is no under-reporting of crime in the state.
“Even though the figure of 312 (crimes per 100,000 people) is given out by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for the year 2006, both the Intelligence Bureau and a survey by a leading English newsmagazine has said that Kerala is the safest place in the country where the law and order is perfect,” Balakrishnan told reporters here Thursday.
He added that one of the main reasons for the high crime rate here was high reporting.
“In Kerala people have no problem going to the police for registering cases unlike other states in the country.
“Another reason is of the inclusion of traffic related cases in the crime rate. In 2006, traffic cases accounted for 124 per 100,000 population,” he said.
Balakrishnan hails from Kannur district, which has been termed in the NCRB report as the district with the highest crime rate in the country.
He said several cases in Kannur had been registered under Section 143 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), relating to riots. “The practice is to include all demonstrations which do not have prior permission as a crime under Section 143. The police register all such cases and hence the crime rate of Kannur goes up.”
He pointed out that the number of murders in Kerala had come down from 503 in 1993 to 351 in 2007.
“For petty cases like fights, for one incident there are two cases, filed by both the parties. This also gets reflected in the overall crime rate and there is no reason for any fear,” added Balakrishnan.
“The Palakkad South police station has been selected as the best police station in the country and the second best in Asia.”