LAHORE, Sept 19: The heinous crime graph in the provincial capital has witnessed an increase in two police divisions and decrease in other four in August 2012 as compared to the corresponding month of 2011.

Five police circles out of total 34 have topped the heinous crime chart in the same period.

The Iqbal Town division has topped the heinous crime chart while Sadar division’s statistics went in minus, reveal official statistics available with Dawn.

However, the total heinous crime, including murder, kidnapping for ransom, robbery-cum-murder, dacoity, robbery, theft, car-snatching, motorcycle-snatching, car and bike thefts, has too witnessed decrease as 1,251 incidents were reported in August 2011 as compared to 1,193 reported in the corresponding period of the current year.

Iqbal Town and Civil Lines divisions have witnessed increase with total number of incidents (184 and 105) reported in August 2011 increased up to (195 and 114) as compared to the current year’s corresponding month.

However, Model Town, City, Cantonment and Saddar divisions witnessed decrease in overall heinous crime incidents.

As many as 267 incidents took place in August 2012 as compared to 268 in August 2011 in Model Town division; 226 and 240 in City division; 167 and 189 in Cantonment division; and 224 and 265 in Sadar division.

Iqbal Town, City and Model Town divisions topped with motorcycle theft; Civil Lines and Cantonment divisions topped with robbery; and Saddar division topped with car theft in heinous crimes in August 2012 as compared to the corresponding period of 2011.

Saddar division police, according to statistics, has witnessed lesser crime ratio in the last few years.

The statistics further claim that the division has witnessed 15 per cent reduction in heinous crime and 14.5 per cent in street crime while it has posted 76 per cent increase in arrests of A-category proclaimed offenders, 38 per cent in other categories of POs, 83 per cent in court absconders and 86 per cent in history-sheeters in August 2012 as compared to the corresponding month of 2011.

Five Lahore police circles -- Model Town, Gulshan-i-Ravi, Muslim Town, Civil Lines and Samanabad -- were declared the most-hit crime circles in terms of increase in heinous crime in the same month.

At least 57 incidents were reported in August 2012 as compared to 30 in the same month of the corresponding period of 2011 in Model Town circle; 56 and 39 in Gulshan-i-Ravi circle; 30 and 16 in Muslim Town circle; 33 and 21 in Civil Lines circle; and 27 and 17 in Samanabad circle.