The Hindu : Burglaries on the rise in Kozhikode

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 29, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Burglaries on the rise in Kozhikode

By Our Staff Reporter

KOZHIKODE JUNE 28. Burglars are having a field day in the city, much to the chagrin of the police force. Even by police records, five incidents of housebreaking take place in the city every single minute. Five cases of ordinary theft and one case of robbery....that too in 60 seconds........ says the `Crime Clock'' that adorns the Crime Records Bureau at Kozhikode.

There might be some exaggeration in the statistics.

The Crime Clock may not accurate. But there is no doubt that the people in city are in the grip of fear because of the reported spurt in incidence of burglaries in the last three weeks.

In the last three weeks of this month alone there were as many as 30 house-break-ins and 16 ordinary cases of theft.

The burglaries were confined to the housing colonies and the interiors of the city.

The police department says that it has stepped up its surveillance in the city and its suburbs in view of the increasing number of crimes including house-break-ins and thefts during the rainy season.

It has recently set up a `border ceiling' system at Elathoor, Pavangad, Kunnamangalam and Cheruvanoor from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. to check vehicles and posted two Assistant Commissioner of Police and a substantial number of Circle Inspectors to monitor the criminals from the neighbouring districts.

The Kozhikode Police Commissioner, Sanjeev Patjoshi, told The Hindu here today that a special team would conduct be a random check at all the banks, housing colonies and shopping complexes during the night hours in addition to the vigil on the borders. `About 50 per cent of the criminals are operating from the neighboring district of Malappuram. Of the 42 persons arrested so far.... a majority of them are from there,' he said.

Some of the other remedial measures include screening the list of Known Depredator (KD), Dossier Criminal (DC) and the suspected list of convicts. Policing would be strictly enforced at all the residential areas during the daytime too.

`But we want the cooperation of the public in complying with the guidelines issued by the police department from time to time,' Mr. Patjoshi said.

Community policing was introduced on the beaches at Puthiyappa, Marad and Beypore to curb petty crimes. The police tried the scheme at one of the housing colonies at Malaparambu here. `However it failed to take-off successfully,' he noted.

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