New Delhi: The Delhi Police commissioner on Friday said the brutal gang-rape of a woman was the turning point for police in the national capital.
Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said that the "horrifying" incident galvanised the police force into focussing entirely on women's safety.
"This incident was the turning point in the history of the (Delhi) police force. This case has given a new direction to the criminal justice system of India and our focus will be women's safety," Kumar said at the Annual Press Conference of Delhi Police.
"This (Delhi gang-rape) was the most horrifying case in the history of Delhi Police. This year the focus of Delhi Police will be entirely on the safety of women," he added.
According to the Delhi Police, rape cases shot up by 23.43 percent with the capital registering 706 such cases in comparison to 2011, which witnessed 572 cases.
He said that out of the 760 rape cases, 680 were committed by people known to the victims.
Besides, 727 cases of women being molestated were reported in 2012, while the figure was 657 in 2011.
The conference started with Kumar and his colleagues mourning the death of the woman who died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.
IANS
First Published: Friday, January 18, 2013, 15:42