Staff shortage hits working of Crime Branch

Bhubaneswar:  the premier investigating wing of the State police is suffering from acute staff crunch. Due to nearly 45 per cent vacancies, the crime branch is unable to register more number of cases. We are very selective and are taking up only important and sensitive cases for investigations", said Crime Branch IG BK Sharma. The State crime branch took up 42 cases in 2005 and submitted 46 charge sheets in the same year after investigating pending cases. In the following year, while the crime branch registered 52 cases charge sheets in 2006 only 23 cases were submitted. This year till September, 38 cases have been registered while investigations into 51 cases have been completed and charge sheets submitted, informed Sharma. According to statistics available from State crime branch police, the State has witnessed a decline in overall registration of cognizable offences till September this year in comparison to corresponding period in 2006. While 50,175 cognizable cases were registered in the State in the first nine months of 2006, the number of cases registered till September 2007 were 49,736, a decline of 0.8 per cent, the statistics said. According to national crime bureau sources, Mr. Sharma said while only 133.4 crimes are recorded per one lakh population in Orissa, it is 165.3 in Bihar , 196.9 in Andhra Pradesh and 193.2 in Chhatisgarh. But other neighbouring states like West Bengal (78.1) and Jharkhand ( 121.8) are comparatively less crime prone than Orissa.