Rape convictions low because of false complaints: Mumbai CP

Mumbai Police commissioner Satya Pal Singh has said that factors such as “false complaints” and witnesses turning hostile in court are responsible for the low conviction rates in rape cases. According to a report in the Times of India, Singh made the comments while speaking at an event in Mumbai, where he was speaking to Bollywood personalities on how to make the city safer. [caption id=“attachment_1224371” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Satyapal SIngh with RR Patil. AFP[/caption] “It’s incorrect to blame the police solely for conviction rates in rape cases,” he said, according to the report. “A study has shown that in nearly 56 percent of the rape cases, witnesses turn hostile in court. Also, around 30 percent of the cases are date rape cases or rapes committed by boyfriends. There are also cases of rape where the accused person is a relative, a friend or a family member." “Instances of crimes against women are sensitive and monitoring of investigation is done by a deputy police commissioner,” Singh said. “The movies, as they communicate, can help us make the city safe and bring peace and harmony to the city,” Singh said, according to a report in the Hindustan Times.   Awareness of violence against women in the country has surged in the last year. According to Daniel Drache, professor of political science at York University, Canada, sex crime reporting has surged by 30 percent since the December 16 gangrape case in Delhi. Rape convictions have slowly been rising over the past three years. According to a report in the Times of India, while rape cases have risen from 16,075 in 2001 to 24,923 in 2012, the rates of conviction have dipped from 40.8% to 24.2 percent in the corresponding period. A study of crime statistics — released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) — showed a rise in incidence of rape over the last three years, with 24,923 cases in 2012, up from 24,206 (2011) and 22,172 (2010). However, conviction rates in rapes headed southwards during the same period, down to 24.2 percent in 2012 from 26.4 percent in 2011.