Goa CM again: More than 90% crimes in the state committed by migrants

On Tuesday, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reiterated his controversial claim that over 90% of crimes in the state are committed by migrants. During Zero Hour in the Legislative Assembly, Sawant emphasized the need for crime prevention awareness, stating that the police department had already begun verifying the backgrounds of laborers and tenants.

He argued that individuals should not rent out their homes to unknown persons without conducting background checks. Sawant stressed that tenant and labor verification is crucial to the government’s strategy for preventing crime and enhancing security in the state.

MLA Viresh Borkar from the Revolutionary Goans Party questioned the effectiveness of these measures, citing a decline in law and order and a rise in incidents of crime over the past three years. Borkar specifically highlighted a recent shooting at a casino director and instances of drug smuggling in Colvale jail, expressing concern over the police's crime detection rate of 98.92% yet a low conviction rate of only 5.85%. He also questioned the government's decision not to install more CCTV cameras as a preventive measure.

Aam Aadmi Party legislator Venzy Viegas followed up by asking what the next steps would be if 90% of crime is indeed attributed to migrants. Viegas wanted to know what additional measures the government planned to implement to reduce crime from 90% to 0%. In response, Sawant mentioned that the government regularly analyzes the profiles of arrested accused persons, including their origin, repeat-offender status, and potential involvement in organized criminal networks.

Sawant also outlined various actions taken by the government to monitor and curb criminal activities, such as deploying PCR vans, motorcycles, and highway patrol vans for intensive patrolling, the presence of Tourist Police on beaches and vulnerable areas, round-the-clock police patrolling at railway stations, and ongoing analysis of narcotics-related cases and intelligence inputs to identify organized drug networks, repeat offenders, and interstate linkages.