Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

GEOINFORMATICS FOR CONCENTRATION OF CRIME AGAINST WOMEN IN CITY, .

P. Mary Santhi1, S. Balaselvakumar2 K. Kumaraswamy3

1Research Scholar 2Assistant Professor & 3Emeritus Professor 1&2 Department of Geography, Periyar E.V.R. College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli – 620 023 3Department of Geography, University, Tiruchirappalli – 620 024 Affiliated to , Tiruchirappalli – 620 024

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to mapping and analysing the concentration of crimes against women in Tiruchirappalli city for the years 2012 to 2017. The concentration score of crimes against women (rape, dowry death, molestation, kidnapping, cruelty by husband, dowry Prohibition Act 1961 and POCSO Act, 2012) recorded in each of All Women Police Station (AWPS) has been calculated and it reveals that the high concentration of crime rape was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 1.4%, dowry death in AWPS with 3.4%, molestation in AWPS with 0.6%, cruelty by husband in AWPS Srirangam with 1.4%, dowry Prohibition Act 1961 cases in AWPS Fort with 1.7% and POCSO Act, 2012 cases in AWPS Golden rock with 1.4%. The low concentration of crime rape and cruelty by husband was recorded in AWPS Srirangam and Golden rock with 0.9% and molestation and kidnapping in AWPS Fort and Cantonment with 0.1 %. Among all four AWPS, the AWPS Golden rock and Srirangam had recorded the maximum concentration of crimes against women when the total crimes in a particular police station were compared to the total crimes in the study area.

Keywords: Crime against women – women police station – concentration – Geoinformatics mapping

1. INTRODUCTION

Crime against woman has become one of the most habitual and common human rights violations and is a major crisis in ending gender inequality and prejudice globally. It is also well- known that crime against women is not equally scattered across the world. It has been observed

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 832 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

that some places suffer from significantly higher rates of crime than others (Guerry, 1833; Park, 1925; Shaw and McKay, 1942; Reiss and Tonry, 1986; Sampson, 1985; Smith, 1986). It may take different forms depending on history, society, surroundings, but it causes great distress for women, their relatives, and the society in which they live. A concentration of crime against women is a spatial area in which high levels of crime incidents occur and it can be the result of homogeneous or heterogeneous crime event. Criminologists have explored crime distribution and the factors thought to contribute to these between-area differences in crime at many levels of geography, examining the impact of structural characteristics on levels of crime across states (Loftin and Hill, 1974), cities (Baumer, Lauritsen, Rosenfeld, and Wright, 1998), neighborhoods (Bursik and Grasmick, 1983; Sampson, 1985; Wilson, 1987) and even single addresses (Sherman, Gartin and Buerger, 1989). Recently, the term concentration has been used to describe the tendency of crime against women to be tied to a small number of places within a given city.Theoretical reasons to believe that any observed variation in the concentration of crime against women may have implications for the total volume of crime, which occurs within the city’s borders. Spatial concentration of crime against women is associated with differences in crimes.

2. STUDY AREA

The Tiruchirappalli city’s base map had been outlined from the Survey of (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. The Cauvery delta starts form 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) West of the city where the river divides into two streams-the Cauvery and the Kollidam-to form the island of Srirangam (Fig.2.1). The topography of Tiruchirappalli city is approximately flat and its average elevation is 88 meters (289 ft). Some isolated small hills rise above the surface, the highest of which is the Rockfort. Its estimated age of 3,800 million years makes it one of the oldest rocks in the world. Other prominent mound includes the Golden rock, , and one each at and . (Fig.1).The two major rivers that facilitate Tiruchirappalli city are the Cauvery and its distributary the Kollidam, but the city is also fertiled by the Uyyakondan canal, Koraiyar and Kudamuritti Rivers. The land immediately surrounding the Cauvery River, which traverses through Tiruchirappalli city from West to East, consists of fertile alluvial soil deposits on which crops like paddy, and sugarcane are cultivated and on the nearby dry soil finger millet and maize are cultivated. Further South, the surface is enclosed by poor-quality black soil. A belt of rock known as the runs to the Northeast of the city, and to the Southeast in which there are layers of Achaean rocks, granite and gneiss covered by a thin bed of conglomeratic .

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 833 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

3. METHODOLOGY

The concentration of a certain crime against women would give the concentration of that crime in a particular area in relation to its surrounding area. The index of crime concentration was calculated for crimes against women for the years 2012-2017 in Tiruchirappalli city, with the help of (Hari Shripati Vanamore, 2012) formula, CR= PR/SR Where CR= concentration rate of X crime. PR = % of X crime in the total crimes in a particular police station. SR= % of X crime in the total crimes in the study area. The resultant map gives the police station wise concentration of crimes against women which varies with police stations as well as time. Accordingly, the levels of concentration of crimes against women in the city of Tiruchirappalli have been formed as high, medium and low concentration level and free from crime.

4. ANALYSIS OF CONCENTRATION OF CRIME AGAINST WOMEN

4.1 Index of Crime Concentration of Rape

In the years, 2012 to 2017 the high concentration of crime rape was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 1.4%. AWPS Fort and Cantonment were medium with the same crime rate1.2% and the low concentration of crime rape was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 0.9% (Fig.2).Besides All Women Police Stations (AWPS), the concentration of crime rape was recorded in some of the police stations such as Cantonment with 3.7%, Government hospital

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 834 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

with 1.1% and with 0.9%. In 2012 and 2013, the high concentration of crime rape was found in AWPS Srirangam with 1.8%, medium was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 1.2 % and AWPS Fort with 1.1% and the low was recorded in AWPS Cantonment with 0.6%.In the years, 2014 and 2015, the high concentration of crime rape was found in AWPS of Golden rock with 3.6%, medium was recorded in AWPS of Cantonment range with 2.4% and AWPS Srirangam was low withFig. 20.6% and AWPS Fort was free from this crime.In 2016 and 2017, the high concentration of crime rape was found in AWPS Fort with 2.5%. AWPS Cantonment was low with 1.7% and AWPS Srirangam and Golden rock were free from this crime.

5. Index of Crime Concentration of Dowry Death

In the year, 2012 and 2017, the high concentration of crime dowry death was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 3.4%. Medium was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 1.1% and the rest were free from this crime (Fig.3).Besides All Women Police Stations (AWPS), the concentration of crime dowry death was also recorded in K.K. Nagar police station with 4.3%.In 2012 and 2013, the high concentration of crime dowry death was found in AWPS Srirangam with 5.0% and the rest were free from this crime.In 2014 and 2015, the high concentration of crime dowry death was found in AWPS Srirangam with 2.5%. AWPS Golden rock with 1.8% was recorded as

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 835 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

medium and the rest were free from this crime.In 2016 and 2017, the high concentration of crime dowry death was found in AWPS Srirangam with 3.5% and the rest were free from this crime.

6. Index of Crime Concentration of Molestation

In the years from 2012 to 2017 the high concentration of crime molestation was recorded in AWPS Cantonment with 0.6% and AWPS Golden rock with 0.4%. Medium was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 0.2% and AWPS Fort was low with 0.1% (Fig.4).Besides All Women Police Stations (AWPS), the concentration of crime molestation was also recorded in all other 14 police stations such as Sessions court, and with the same crime rate 5.8%, Golden rock and Thillainagar with the same crime rate 3.9%, Cantonment, Palakkarai and Government Hospital with the same crime rate 2.9%, Woraiyur with 2.5% Srirangam, K.K.

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 836 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

Nagar, Airport and Fort with the same crime rate 2.3% and Edamalaipattipudur with 1.9%. In 2012 and 2013, the high concentration of crime molestation was found in AWPS Srirangam with 0.5%, medium was recorded in AWPS Cantonment with 0.4% and AWPS Golden rock with 0.3% as low and Fort was free from this crime.In 2014 and 2015, the high concentration of crime molestation was found in AWPS Cantonment with 1.0%, medium was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 0.6%. AWPS Fort with 0.3% was low and AWPS Srirangam was free from this crime.In 2016 and 2017, high concentration of crime molestation was found in AWPS Golden rock with 0.6%. AWPS Cantonment with 0.3% was low and AWPS Srirangam and Fort were free from crime.

7. Index of Crime Concentration of Kidnapping

In the years 2012 to 2017 the high concentration of crime kidnapping was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 1.1%. AWPS Fort was medium with 0.3%. AWPS Cantonment was low with 0.1% and AWPS Srirangam was free from this crime. (Fig.5). Besides All Women Police Stations (AWPS) the concentration of crime kidnapping was recorded in other police stations also such as Edamalaipattipudur with 7.2%, Fort and Srirangam with the crime rate 6.5%, Woraiyur with 6.2%, K.K. Nagar with 5.4%, Government hospital with 4.3%, Airport with 2.2%, Cantonment and Thillainagar with the crime rate 1.8%, and Palakkarai

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 837 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

with 0.9%. In 2012 and 2013, the high concentration of crime kidnapping was found in AWPS Golden rock with 1.6%, medium was recorded in AWPS Fort with 0.5%. AWPS Cantonment was low with 0.3% and AWPS Srirangam was free from crime.No police station had recorded crime kidnapping in the years 2014-2015 and 2016-2017.

8. Index of Crime Concentration of Cruelty by Husband

In the years 2012 to 2017 the high concentration of crime cruelty by husband was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 1.4%. Medium was recorded in AWPS Cantonment and AWPS Fort with the same values 1.3% and AWPS Golden rock as low with 0.9 % ( Fig.6).Besides All Women Police Stations (AWPS), the concentration of crime cruelty by husband was also recorded in Palakkarai police station with 0.6%.In 2012 and 2013, the high concentration of crime cruelty by husband was found in AWPS Cantonment with 1.5% and AWPS Fort with 1.9%. Medium was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 1.1% and AWPS Golden rock was low with 0.8%. In 2014 and 2015, the high concentration of crime cruelty by husband was found in AWPS Srirangam with 1.6%, medium was recorded in AWPS Cantonment with 1.1% and AWPS Fort with 1.0% and AWPS Golden rock was low with 0.7%. In 2016 and 2017, the high concentration of crime

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 838 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

cruelty by husband was found in AWPS Golden rock with 1.4% and AWPS Cantonment with 1.3%. Medium was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 1.2% and AWPS Fort was low with1.1%.

9. Index of Crime Concentration of Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 In the years from 2012 to 2017 the high concentration of crime dowry Prohibition Act was recorded in AWPS Fort with 1.7% and AWPS Golden rock with 1.5%, medium was recorded in AWPS Cantonment with 1.1% and AWPS Srirangam was low with 1.0%. (Fig.7).In 2012 and 2013, the high concentration of crime dowry Prohibition Act was found in AWPS Golden rock with 2.8% and AWPS Cantonment with 2.3%, medium was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 0.8% and AWPS Fort with 0.6% was low.In 2014 and 2015, the high concentration of crime dowry Prohibition Act was found in AWPS Fort with 4.8% and the rest were free from this crime. In 2016 and 2017, the high concentration of crime dowry Prohibition Act was found in AWPS Srirangam with 2.0%, medium was recorded in AWPS Cantonment and AWPS Golden rock with the same crime rate 1.1% and AWPS Fort was low with 0.7%.

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 839 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

10. Index of Crime Concentration of POCSO Act, 2012

In the years from 2012 to 2017, the concentration of crime POCSO Act was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 1.4% as high. AWPS Fort with 1.3% was medium and AWPS Srirangam and Cantonment were low with the same crime rate 1.2%. (Fig.8). In 2012 and 2013, the high concentration of crime POCSO Act was found in AWPS Golden rock with 3.0%. AWPS Srirangam and Cantonment were medium with the same crime rate 2.5%, and AWPS Fort was free from this crime.In 2014 and 2015, the high concentration of crime POCSO Act was Fig. 8 found in AWPS Golden rock with 2.1%, AWPS Cantonment and Fort were as medium with the crime rate 1.2% and AWPS Srirangam was low with 0.5%.In 2016 and 2017, the high concentration of crime POCSO Act was found in AWPS Fort with 1.4%, AWPS Golden rock and Srirangam recorded as medium with the crime rate 1.2%, and AWPS Cantonment was low with 1.1%.

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 840 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

11. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS

The crime concentration of each All Women Police Station (AWPS) has been calculated for the study area. The maximum cases were registered in AWPS Srirangam, AWPS Cantonment, AWPS Fort and AWPS Golden rock and it reveals that the high concentration of crime rape was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 1.4%. AWPS Fort and Cantonment were medium with the crime rate1.2% and the low concentration of crime rape was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 0.9% The high concentration of crime dowry death was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 3.4%. Medium was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 1.1% and the rest were free from this crime.The high concentration of crime molestation was recorded in AWPS Cantonment with 0.6% and AWPS Golden rock with 0.4%. Medium was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 0.2% and AWPS Fort was low with 0.1%The high concentration of crime kidnapping was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 1.1%. AWPS Fort was medium with 0.3%. AWPS Cantonment was low with 0.1% and AWPS Srirangam was free from this crime. The high concentration of crime cruelty by husband was recorded in AWPS Srirangam with 1.4%. Medium was recorded in AWPS Cantonment and AWPS Fort with the same values 1.3% and AWPS Golden rock as low with 0.9%. The high concentration of crime dowry Prohibition Act was recorded in AWPS Fort with 1.7% and AWPS Golden rock with 1.5%, medium was

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 841 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

recorded in AWPS Cantonment with 1.1% and AWPS Srirangam was low with 1.0%. The concentration of crime POCSO Act, 2012 cases was recorded in AWPS Golden rock with 1.4% as high. AWPS Fort with 1.3% was medium and AWPS Srirangam and Cantonment were low with the same crime rate 1.2%. Beside these All Women Police Stations (AWPS), some crimes against women were also recorded in Cantonment, K.K. Nagar, Fort and Sessions court police stations of the city. Hence, it is concluded that among all the four AWPS, the AWPS Golden rock and Srirangam had recorded the maximum concentration of crimes against women when the total crime rate in a particular police station (PR) was compared to the total crimes in the study area (SR).

 These crime prone areas should have a mechanism to monitor infractions in schools, colleges and workplaces for ensuring safety and security of women. Women police officers in sufficient number fully prepared with policing infrastructure may be appointed in these areas.  Help-line numbers Email and website address, toll free emergency call number, whatsapp numbers of All Women Police Stations of the city should be displayed prominently in hospitals, schools, colleges and in all other appropriate places.  In Tiruchirappalli city, the women police stations should be increased in all four ranges especially in Woraiyur and Palakkarai police stations. When crime against women occurs, all out efforts should be taken to apprehend all the accused named in the FIR immediately to create self-confidence in the victims and their relatives.  The crime departments of all police stations in the city must be aware of the crime-prone areas in their respective jurisdiction, because a complete knowledge of geographical profile of the area is the means to reduce the opportunities that are favourable for the criminals.  The spatial patterns of crime maps of the city must be prepared periodically and systematically so that the police officials will be in a better position to know the crime prone areas, their growth, location, direction and their trend and patterns. The crime forecasting procedure developed by mapping experiences may help in identifying the possible shifts over time.  The police departments should apply photography, body scanners (at the airport and the railway stations) infra red rays, electronic gazettes, remote sensing, Geographical Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) with the alarming system, advanced CCTVs consisting of microphone to record the audio along with video cameras to capture images/video of people’s moves and actions which will help them detect the crime and criminals and investigate the incidents accurately. The usage of such ultra modern techniques will create a sort of dreads in the minds of criminals who are proved to commit crimes in the city and people who migrate from other area.

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 842 www.joics.org Journal of Information and Computational Science ISSN: 1548-7741

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Our sincere thanks to the Commissioner of Police, Tiruchirappalli City for providing the necessary data for this research work.

REFERENCES

Baumer, Lauritsen, Rosenfeld, and Wright (1998): “The Influence of Crack Cocaine on Robbery, Burglary, and Homicide Rates: A Cross-City, Longitudinal Analysis”, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Vol. 35(3), pp. 316-340. Bursik, R., and H. Grasmick. (1993) “Neighborhoods and Crime: The Dimensions of Effective Community Control. San Francisco, CA: Lexington Books. Guerry, A.-M. (1833). A.-M. Guerry’s Moral Statistics of France: Challenges for Multivariable Spatial Analysis Hari Shripati Vanamore, 2012 Hari Shripati Vanamore (2012) Spatial Patterns of Crimes in Maharashtra (A Geographical Perspective). Jagdishprasad Jhabarmal Tibrewala University, p. 2 Loftin, C., & Hill, R. H. (1974). Regional substructure and homicide: An examination of the Gastil-Hackney thesis. American Sociological Review, 39(5), 714–724 Park, R. E. (1925). "The City: Suggestions for Investigation of Human Behavior in the Urban Environment". In Park, R. E.; Burgess, E. W (eds.). The City (1st ed.). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. pp. 1–46.Pierce, Glenn L., Susan Spaar, and LeBaron R. Briggs. 1988. The Character of Police Work: Strategic and Tactical Implications. Boston, MA: Center for Applied Social Research, Northeastern University. R. J Sampson (1985) structural sources of variation in race‐age‐specific rates of offending across major U.S. Citie, American Society of Criminology, Cincinnati, Ohio, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1985.tb00368. Reiss and Tonry, 1986; Communities and Crime (Chicago, III: University of Chicago Press). Shaw, C.R. and McKay, H.D. (1942) Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas: A Study of Rates of Delinquents in Relation to Differential Characteristics of Local Communities in American Cities. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Sherman, L.W., Gartin, P.R. and Buerger, M.E. (1989) Hot Spots of Predatory Crime: Routine Activities and the Criminology of Place. Criminology, 27, 27-55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1989.tb00862.x Smith (1986) Crime, Space and Society, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932000018459

Volume 10 Issue 3 - 2020 843 www.joics.org