High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) can help bring down crime rate, said Kamaljeet Soi, member of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC).
Speaking at a conference on HSRP and its role in public interest here on Wednesday, Mr. Soi who has been campaigning for the implementation of HSRPs across States for over 15 years, said the maximum number of crimes are vehicle borne. “A total of 34 crore vehicles ply on Indian roads, and more than 90% of crimes in India are vehicle borne. According to the Narcotics Control Bureau, Karnataka is one among the top drug consuming and peddling States, and most of these crimes happen on a vehicle. The same is for any other crime. Karnataka has about 3 crore registered vehicles, out of which only one crore vehicles were registered after 2019 and come with the HSRPs. The remaining two crore vehicles do not have HSRPs and can be easily used for criminal activities,“ he said.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Soi said that the fear of not being able to change the number plates can reduce crime rates drastically. “There are two kinds of fear in criminology that is fear of being caught and fear of being punished, but with fake number plates being used, crimes are easier to commit. The implementation of HSRPs will trigger these two fears in anyone trying to commit a crime and automatically reduce the crime rate, as it gets easier for the police to track violators and criminals”.
“Delhi was earlier known as the crime capital of India, but it has come down to the fifth position now. The same is being noticed in most of the States that have implemented HSRPs. This may not put an end to criminal activities, but the crime rate will go down drastically in Karnataka too,“ Mr. Soi added.
Three months not enough
The Transport Department of Karnataka in its new order issued on August 17 mandated installation of HSRP to all vehicles registered before April 1, 2019 on or before November 17, 2023. However, Mr. Soi said that three months would not be enough. “The Government of Karnataka has mandated for vehicles registered before 2019 to install HSRPs by November 2023, but looking at the number of vehicles registered before 2019, it is highly unlikely all the vehicles will have the plates within three months and it might take a year and half for every vehicle to have the HSRP.”
