The rate of cognizable crimes in Kerala is the highest in the country at 723.2 (cases per 1 lakh population), more than thrice the national average of 234, as per the 2015 data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).Madhya Pradesh, the second state on the list, trails by nearly 300 markings at 348.
A break-up of the data, however, shows that petty crimes and cases filed over protest marches (dubbed rioting) had led to the spike.The NCRB data rank Kerala significantly low on the list in serious crimes like rape and murder (see chart). Criminologist Ajithkumar Nair says the quality of data collection could also have contributed to the high rate. “Many incidents of crime go unreported in other states. Even those reported need not be properly recor ded. Kerala has an effective system of registering cases and recording them, even minor suo motu cases. This should be read along with the high rate,” he says. Former DGP Hormis Tharakan, also former chief of Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), attributes the rate to effective policing. “There are more suo motu cases being registered. A break-up will give a better picture. Policing in Kerala is much more efficient than many other states,” he says.
Senior police officers said only less than 10% of the reported rape cases were actual rapes. “Most of them are registered when eloping couples are tracked in manmissing cases. The number of `Govindachamis’ in Kerala is less compared to the oth er states,” one of them said.
