A Study on Violent Crimes in Tiruchirappalli City, Tamil Nadu
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Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707 A STUDY ON VIOLENT CRIMES IN TIRUCHIRAPPALLI CITY, TAMIL NADU P. Mary Santhi* *Research Scholar, Department of Geography Periyar E.V.R. College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli – 620 023 S. Balaselvakumar* *Assistant Professor, Department of Geography Periyar E.V.R. College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli – 620 023 Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli – 620 024 K. Kumaraswamy** **ICSSR Senior Fellow - Emeritus Professor **Department of Geography, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli – 620 024 ABSTRACT This research is an attempt to examine the violent crimes in Tiruchirappalli city. It reveals that the highest percentage of Cruelty by husband 36%. The year 2012 had recorded the highest percentage of violent crimes i.e. about 21%. Srirangam range had suffered maximum violent crimes with 31% and violent crimes were mostly reported in Woraiyur and Srirangam police stations of Srirangam range. Watching and observing the behaviours and actions of criminals in the month of July, April and May, first week of Fridays and Sundays and during the peak hours of 2.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. and guiding the youth and training the students through education and various awareness programmes, intensified patrolling, security and other law enforcement activities will bring down the violent crimes in the city. KEYWORDS: violent crimes, year-wise, range-wise, police station-wise, hotspot INTRODUCTION Crime can take place anywhere and everywhere and anytime with anyone. Violent crimes can happen in public spaces such as in the street, clubs and pubs, as well as at home or in the workplace, and often the victims know the person who attacks them. A violent crime, a violent felony, a crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use force upon a victim. Violent crimes may, or may not, be Volume X Issue II FEBRUARY 2021 Page No : 393 Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707 committed with weapons. Depending on the jurisdiction, violent crimes may vary from homicide to harassment. Typically, violent crimes can include assault, gun and knife crime, murder or manslaughter kidnapping, sexual violence (such as rape or sexual assault), alcohol and drug- related violence, gang violence, domestic violence. The police will record a crime as violent if the offender intended or intends to physically harm you, regardless of whether or not it results in a physical injury. There have been many studies concerned about the violent crimes such as Omar Ibrahim Bani-Taha and Omair Shafiq (2020) have identified the spatial patterns and predictions of violent crime trend; Beiji et al. (2017) have applied crime hotspot detection and monitoring using violent Scene detection; Ted Robert Gurr (1981) has studied the geographical distribution of crimes of violence; Conaway, M. R., and Lohr, S. L., (1994) discussed the relation between the reporting of a violent crime to the police and previous victimizations; Muhammad Amin, B., et al. (2014) explained the mass and social media depict rising violent crime; Da Silva Filho, A. M., et al. (2021) analyzed the fluctuations in time series of intentional lethal violent crime rates; Rotton, J., and Frey, J., (1985) assessed the relations among, seasonal trends, family disturbances, and assaults against persons; Salomat, N., (2020) examined the experience of victim prevention in violent crimes; Taghidizaj, R. A., (2021) provided a model for explaining violence that feeds on the middle and macro analytical levels; Swanson, J. W., et al. (2020) presented a survival analysis of long-term risk of firearm-related and other violent crime; Goredema, C., et al. (2014) discussed the characteristics of the structure, gang operating in murder, assault and theft; Alatrash, I., (2021) analyzed murder related to age group, gender, and nature of work; Farida, F., and Kusriyah, S., (2021) identified and described the legal protection of women perpetrators of the crime of abortion, victims of rape; Lolayekar, A. P., et al. (2020) explored the reasons for the incidence of crime against women (rape, Volume X Issue II FEBRUARY 2021 Page No : 394 Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707 kidnapping, cruelty, dowry deaths, and molestation; Mary Santhi et al. (2020) have explained the influences of seasons on violent crimes; Cotton 1986 have given an alternative theoretical explanation is that hotter temperatures may decrease aggression of crimes under some circumstances. Anderson C.A., (1989) studied that hotter temperatures are connected with higher intensity of violence; Schinasi, L. H., and Hamra, G. B., (2017) analysed the impact of public health temperature with violent crimes for temporal patterns of crime activity. Some of the primary data points, ideas, and analysis for understanding the distribution, causes and effects of violent crimes are examined in the above reviews. This research is also an attempt to investigate and mapping violent crimes to reduce the incidence of crime in the city, especially crimes against women. STUDY AREA The base map of Tiruchirappalli city was drawn from the Survey of India (SOI) Toposheets Nos. 58 J/9, 10, 13 and 14. The city lies between the latitudes 10° 43' 40''- 10° 53' 00'' North and the longitudes 78° 38' 14'' - 78° 48' 50'' East (Fig. 1). The Cauvery delta starts to form 16 km west of the city where the river divided into two; the Cauvery and the Kollidam to form the island of Srirangam. The topography of Tiruchirappalli city is relatively flat with an average elevation of 88 metres from mean sea level. Some isolated hillocks are rising beyond the surface, the topmost of which is the Rockfort. Its estimated age is 3,800 million years and it is marked as one of the ancient rocks in the world. Other famous hillocks include the Golden Rock, Khajamalai, Uyyakondan Thirumalai and Thiruverumbur. The river Cauvery and its distributary Kollidam facilitate Tiruchirappalli city also the city is fertilised by the Uyyakondan, Kudamuritti and Koraiyar canals. The land closely adjoining the Cauvery River, which crosses Tiruchirappalli city from west to east, consists of fertile alluvial Volume X Issue II FEBRUARY 2021 Page No : 395 Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707 soil deposits on which crops such as paddy, banana and sugarcane are cultivated and in dry soil, finger millet and maize are cultivated nearby. Further south, the surface is enclosed by poor quality black soil. A belt of cretaceous rock known as the Trichinopoly group runs to the northeast and the southeast of the city with layers of Achaean rocks, granite and gneiss covered by a thin bed of conglomeratic laterite. Volume X Issue II FEBRUARY 2021 Page No : 396 Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707 METHODOLOGY The violent crimes data such as murder, murder for gain and crime against women (Rape, Kidnapping, Dowry death, Molestation and Cruelty by Husband) is collected from the Commissioner’s Office of 18 Police Stations. These data were analysed and mapped range-wise, year-wise, crime-wise and police station-wise for the years 2012 to 2017 to portray the violent crimes in Tiruchirappalli city. RESULT AND DISCUSSION CRIME-WISE ANALYSIS OF VIOLENT CRIMES MURDER Murder is considered the most serious form of homicide and it is the unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by another. The reason for murder varies from case to case and from scenario to scenario. Moreover, the most common causes are dispute over wealth, property and women. In some cases, sharp provocation becomes the explanation for the murder. The purpose of the murder is largely the gain either from property, money, women or to take revenge. The analysis of the violent crimes in the city for the period 2012-2017 shows that of the total crimes committed, 29% had been murder. The maximum rate of murder was recorded in 2017, which was 42% and minimum recorded in 2015, which was 21% (Table 1 & Fig. 2) and the highest number (12) of murders had been registered in Cantonment and the lowest (02) in Airport police stations (Fig. 3). Volume X Issue II FEBRUARY 2021 Page No : 397 Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707 Table 1 Violent Crimes in Tiruchirappalli City Violent Crimes YEAR (in numbers & Percentage %) 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Total 25 20 23 14 15 15 112 Murder (30%) (25%) (35%) (21%) (26%) (42%) (29%) 1 1 1 3 0 0 6 Murder for gain (1%) (1%) (2%) (5%) (0%) (0%) (2%) 7 10 3 3 4 4 31 Rape (9%) (13%) (5%) (5%) (7%) (11%) (8%) 13 5 1 7 4 2 32 Kidnapping (16%) (6%) (2%) (11%) (7%) (6%) (8%) 3 0 0 3 2 0 8 Dowry death (4%) (0%) (0%) (5%) (4%) (0%) (2%) 9 18 10 7 9 6 59 Molestation (11%) (23%) (15%) (11%) (16%) (17%) (15%) 24 25 27 29 23 9 137 Cruelty by Husband (29%) (32%) (42%) (44%) (40%) (25%) (36%) Total 82 79 65 66 57 36 385 Fig. 2 Violent Crimes in Tiruchirappalli City 50 40 30 20 10 Violent Crimes inCrimes % Violent 0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Murder Murder for Gain Rape Kidnapping Dowry Death Cruelty by Husband Volume X Issue II FEBRUARY 2021 Page No : 398 Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707 MURDER FOR GAIN A murder committed for gain in the continuance of a burglary or theft carried out for payment or discharged in presuming of gain because the death, obstructs or affects the sequence of justice. The study of the murders for gain in the city from 2012 to 2017 reveals that murders committed for gain were 2% out of other violent crimes in the study area. The maximum rate of murders for gain was recorded in 2015, which was 5% and the minimum was recorded in 2012 and 2013, which was 1%.