Hans News Service Vijayawada

Homeminister Vangalapudi Anitha on Tuesday said the NDA coalition government has achieved significant improvements in law and order, women’s safety, cybercrime prevention and anti-drug enforcement during its first two years in office, with the state’s overall crime rate declining by 14.1 per cent.

Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat, Anitha said the government has strengthened policing through the use of CCTV surveillance, drones, artificial intelligence-based analytics and digital monitoring systems, enabling faster crime detection and investigation.

Highlighting women’s safety initiatives, the minister said over 11.15 lakh SOS alerts have been received through the Shakti app, with authorities responding promptly to emergency calls. She said dedicated women’s protection mechanisms and technology-based safety systems have been established across the state.

Under Operation Muskaan, police traced and reunited 8,396 missing persons, including children, women and elderly citizens, with their families. The government has also intensified action against crimes involving children, with 2,293 victims receiving counselling and rehabilitation support.

Anitha said the state has launched an aggressive crackdown on narcotics and ganja cultivation through the EAGLE enforcement unit. According to the minister, authorities registered 56,674 ganja-related cases, initiated legal action against 2,366 individuals and seized assets worth more than Rs 4 crore.

In the cybercrime sector, she said coordinated efforts involving cyber war rooms, banks, telecom operators and the 1930 cyber helpline helped prevent losses of nearly Re 247 crore to online fraudsters.

The minister said emergency response services have been significantly strengthened, reducing average response time from 30 minutes in 2024 to less than 10 minutes, while achieving a response efficiency rate of 97.47 per cent.

On police welfare, Anitha said the government recruited more than 6,000 police personnel, promoted 505 gazetted officers and increased the stipend for constable trainees from Rs 4,000 to Rs 7,500 per month.

She also said the government is modernising forensic infrastructure, with forensic examinations completed in 7,793 cases between January and May this year and strengthening prosecution systems to improve conviction rates.

According to the minister, courts delivered judgments in 279 major criminal cases, resulting in eight death sentences, three life imprisonment terms, 42 convictions carrying sentences of more than 20 years and 14 convictions carrying 14 year prison terms.

Anitha said the government’s focus remains on technology-driven policing, public safety, police welfare and ensuring effective delivery of justice across the state.