The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : First-time offences on the increase

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 03, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

First-time offences on the increase

L. Srikrishna

Gangs deploy totally new persons in crimes

— File photo: R. Shivaji Rao

TARGET OF THIEVES: A burgled house in Tiruvanmiyur.

CHENNAI: Crime incidents in the city involving first-time offenders, particularly burglary, chain-snatching and robbery, seem to be on the increase. It is a matter of concern as police say that in many cases the first-time offenders are deployed by criminals and gangs making their job difficult.

The first-time offenders are mostly in their early 20s or even younger, according to officers investigating some of the cases. The modus operandi of history-sheeters is to identify someone who is new to the world of crime and about whom police have little information, especially their fingerprints.

As a result, the police need to do more legwork in such crime cases. “The fingerprints lifted from the scene of crime is new and did not match with the records available with the FP Bureau”, police say. Moreover, by the time police got some clues, the accused would have sold the properties, spent the money and gone into hiding.

The increasing involvement of first-time offenders and their links with known offenders came to light when police recently questioned a juvenile. He allegedly confessed to his involvement in several cases. The police also seized gold and other valuables worth Rs 4.50 lakh from him.

Another first-time offender was caught by the Adyar police recently and during an interrogation, admitted to having stolen mobile phones from senior citizens and lone women who went for walk in the Tiruvanmiyur, Besant Nagar, Sastri Nagar and Neelankarai areas.

Police also arrested another youth, who committed daylight robberies in thickly populated residential localities in north Chennai. In his confession to the Tiruvottiyur police, he admitted to having committed burglaries when housewives went to pick up their children from school.

Though the police claim a recovery rate of 80 per cent in crime cases and point to the crackdown on a gang of grille offenders that operated for more than five years in Chennai a few months ago, crime on the peripheries is not uncommon. The public expect police to step up crime prevention measures.

Residents in suburbs want police to keep a tab on those who purchase stolen articles, including valuables and electronic gadgets from burglars. Similarly, senior police officers should direct all station house officers to regularly update the list of ‘wanted’ persons in their jurisdiction and monitor their activities.

A retired police officer suggested that foot patrol in areas should be revived in areas from where crime incidents were reported. Though the Tirumangalam and Mylapore police conducted patrolling on bicycles, it should be extended wherever necessary. Police teams to patrol isolated residential localities during daytime should also be formed, he suggested.

A senior police officer said that juvenile homes give greater attention to reforming the inmates.

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