Amaravati, Dec 29 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta on Monday said crime in the state declined by 6.17 per cent in 2025, reflecting strengthened policing, even as economic offences increased by 4.78 per cent, crossing 8,000 cases.

Addressing the Annual Press Conference-2025, the DGP said total cases fell from over 1.1 lakh in 2024 to 1.03 lakh during the current year.

"Crime in Andhra Pradesh declined by 6.17 per cent due to strengthened policing and focused enforcement," Gupta said, highlighting improvements in law and order and conviction outcomes.

Comparative data showed rioting cases declined from 534 to 246, marking a 53.88 per cent reduction. Bodily non-law-and-order crimes fell from 22,358 to 20,075, a decline of 10.21 per cent, he said.

Property crimes reduced marginally from 17,630 to 17,406 cases, while crimes against women declined from 16,994 to 16,347.

Offences against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes fell from 2,402 to 1,818, he added.

NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) cases declined from 1,875 to 1,727, while economic offences rose from 7,667 to 8,034, registering a 4.78 per cent increase statewide.

Cybercrime cases under the IT Act fell from 2,877 to 2,332, a decline of 18.94 per cent. Road accidents also reduced from 18,430 to 17,730 during the year.

The DGP said major cybercrime gangs operate from China, with fraud proceeds transferred abroad immediately, making recovery extremely difficult.

Bodily offences, including murder, kidnapping, grievous hurt, simple hurt and attempt to murder, declined during the year, though cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder saw a slight increase, he said.

Under the drive against rowdies, police maintained 26,518 rowdy sheets, enforced 153 PD Act cases, carried out 15 externments, and bound over 11,728 persons across the state.

Property offences involving murder for gain, dacoity and robbery declined from 339 to 304 cases. While house-breaking by day recorded a marginal increase, house-breaking by night fell from 3,191 to 3,090 cases.

Thefts declined from 13,276 to 13,176, with a detection rate of 56 per cent and a recovery rate of 55 per cent, compared to the national detection rate of 33.8 per cent.

Women's safety data showed cases of rape and murder or gang rape fell from 14 to five, while murders of women declined from 40 to 25 statewide in 2025. Gupta said cybercrime, offences against women and controlling drug trafficking remained major challenges for the Andhra Pradesh Police.

Marital offences declined from 10,049 to 9,861 cases. Rape cases fell marginally, assaults on women declined from 5,388 to 4,974, and cyber crimes against women reduced from 25 to 15.

Overall, crimes against women declined by 3.8 per cent, while POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) cases fell from 2,120 to 1,879, reflecting improved reporting and investigation.

Convictions in crimes against women and POCSO cases totalled 510, including seven death sentences, 126 life imprisonments, ten 25-year sentences, 102 20-year sentences, 65 10-year sentences, 29 sentences ranging from five to seven years, and 52 sentences of less than five years. Thirteen convictions involved minors, he said.

The Women Safety Wing reported that ITSSO (Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences) efficiency improved from 48 per cent to 78.47 per cent, with 4,837 sexual offender sheets opened statewide.

The Shakti WhatsApp number received 6,508 complaints, of which 105 were actionable, leading to 17 FIRs. Additionally, 12.95 lakh women received self-defence training in schools and colleges.

Under Operation Trace, police traced 1,262 girls and 2,648 women over four months. Rescued children were re-admitted to schools and provided rehabilitation support.

Drug enforcement efforts resulted in 9,478 arrests, seizure of 1,525 vehicles, 31,448 awareness programmes, attachment of assets worth Rs 9.11 crore, and booking of 75 PIT NDPS cases.

Under the EAGLE framework, police destroyed 99,836 kg of ganja and 96.45 litres of hashish oil, geo-tagged 858 hotspots, mapped 85 checkpoints, formed over 40,000 EAGLE clubs, and conducted 19,400 awareness drives.

Operation Chaitanyam achieved zero ganja cultivation in the ASR district, while Operation Garuda detected 156 non-compliant medical shops. Railway operations led to the seizure of 189.5 kg of ganja and the arrest of eight interstate traffickers.

Forensic performance at the Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory (APFSL) recorded the lowest pendency of 1,684 cases, with a disposal rate of 93 per cent. NDPS cases were processed within 14 days, and other cases within 21 days.

DNA accuracy exceeded 95 per cent and blood group accuracy over 86 per cent, contributing to convictions in more than 70 per cent of cases.

Emergency Response Services–112 reduced response time from 30 minutes in May to 15.53 minutes in November, outperforming the national benchmark of 17.26 minutes, Gupta said.

Technology-driven enforcement included the deployment of 347 drones, detection of 6,993 cases, installation of 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras, and recovery of 35,116 mobile phones worth Rs 56.42 crore.

Gupta said the Andhra Pradesh Police were pursuing technology-led, future-ready policing focused on improved convictions, faster response times, stronger forensics and citizen-centric service delivery.

Responding to a query on accused being paraded on roads, the DGP said police stations lacked patrol vehicles in certain cases, and accused were escorted on foot to ensure timely production before courts, while maintaining that effective policing continued. PTI MS GDK SSK