Kathmandu, August 12

The statistics maintained by the Metropolitan Police Office show that overall crime rate recorded in the Valley in fiscal of 2015/16 is not much different from the previous fiscal, with just one incident less recorded in the fiscal 2015/16.

The Valley recorded 5,992 cases of crime in 2014/15, as compared to 5,991 in 2015/16. Incidents of murder increased to 42 in 2015/16 from 36 in 2014/15. However, murder attempts and suicide cases fell to 99 and 402 respectively, from 104 and 409 in 2015/16.

Property crimes including theft, burglary, and robbery rose to 531 in 2015/16 from 464 in the previous fiscal. Reports of fraud and kidnapping also increased to 267 and 15 respectively from 176 and 12. Cases of public offense, human trafficking, and polygamy have decreased to 2,969, 23, and 75 in 2015/16 from 3,189, 28, and 63 respectively.

The Valley recorded one incident of child marriage in 2015/16 as compared to zero in 2014/15. Public offense is the single biggest crime around the country.

Road fatalities stood at 166 in 2015/16 as compared to 133 in the previous fiscal. Banking offenses and forgery fell to seven and one in 2015/16 against 19 and three in 2014/15.

A total of 127 rape cases had been registered in the Valley in the fiscal 2014/15 as compared to 135 in 2015/16, which is a 6.3 per cent increase. Incidents of rape attempts also rose to 52 in 2015/16 from 47 in the previous fiscal.

Police conceded that the crime rate is yet to subside and attributed it to unplanned city, growing population, urbanisation, access to transportation and communication, unemployment, and monetary greed. Besides, people’s reluctance to lodge complaints with police too is leading to rising number of crimes.