The year gone by was marked by an escalation of “war on drugs” in the city. The police booked 64% more narcotics cases in 2021, compared to the previous year. There has been a significant increase in recovery of narcotics, and the number of foreign nationals arrested in connection with these cases as well. However, it was also marked by a slight dip in detection of crimes, such as robbery and chain snatchings.
The city police booked 4,547 narcotics cases and arrested 5,741 persons, including 176 foreign nationals, in connection with these cases, compared to 2,766 cases in 2020. They recovered 3,589 kg of ganja, 48.61 kg of hashish, 8,206 ecstacy tablets and 12,451 strips of LSD - significantly higher than the previous two years.
“Not just in terms of quantity; this year, we were able to bust some key narcotic networks and arrest the key suppliers, and not just peddlers,” a senior official said.
The number of preventive cases booked against rowdy sheeters has also taken a giant leap. Apart from an increase in the number of rowdy sheeters booked under the Goonda Act, 10 of them have also been banned from entry into the city. “Rooting out the drug and rowdy menaces from the city has been our top focus and the numbers clearly indicate more preventive action from our side,” said City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant.
Meanwhile, the pandemic has caused a dip in crime rate, a trend observed in 2020 and seen in 2021 as well. The number of crimes reported in both years is lesser than in pre-pandemic 2019. However, there is a dip in detection of these cases. “With the economy in a slump, fresh offenders with no history of crime are committing crimes making it tough to crack,” a senior official said.
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