RAWALPINDI, Aug 13: Although crime rate during the period from January 1 to July 31, 2012 recorded a slight fall, rape, kidnapping and robberies registered increase sending a wave of concern among the people.

Police registered 10,514 cases during the period under review as against 10,977 cases last year.

The most worrisome situation is the 100 per cent increase in involvement of policemen in crimes as 48 cases were registered against them so far this year.

A senior police officer attributed the increase in the registration of cases against the police personnel to the intervention of court of law into some cases leaving them with no other option but to order registration of cases against the derelict police officials.

The latest figures showed that 441 robberies, 378 kidnapping and 35 rape cases were reported to the police January-July period compared to the 401 robberies, 356 kidnappings and 33 rape cases last year.A police expert said: “It has been noticed that robberies and thefts are increased in the holy month of Ramazan or after Eidul Fitr aimed at economic gains.”

While police reported a significant drop in murders to 144 in the seven months of the current year compared to the 178 murders recorded in the same period last year.

Vehicle snatching at gunpoint went up from 74 to the 83 vehicles. The vehicles included motorcycles, cars, wagons and trucks, etc.

However, car thefts went down to 468 this year against 557 last year and motorbike theft to 388 from 513 last year.

A police inspector who requested not to be named attributed the fall in the vehicle crime to public awareness and arrests of vehicle lifters.

Similarly, the house/shop burglaries dropped from 360 in 2011 to 342 during the period under review.

Police believe that a major part of the street crimes  like mugging and purse snatching are not reported to the police by the victims only because they do not want to be involved in police cases and become a part of police investigation.

Only three cases of escape were reported to the police in the seven months in 2012 compared to the five cases of escape from police custody reported in the same period in last year.

However, the escape of a key under-trial suspect in the murder of Sardar Khan, a former attorney general and retired judge of Peshawar High Court from the District Headquarters Hospital Rawalpindi on July 31, was a big blow to the image of the police of the twin cities.