Trivandrum: Kerala, with its highest literacy rate was recently tagged as the country’s most crime-prone state by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and Kochi as the most dangerous city.

Figures compiled till 2010 show that Kerala has a crime rate of 424.1, more than double the national average of 187.6. Madhya Pradesh ranks second and Delhi third.

According to NCRB’s figures, Kochi’s crime rate shows a sudden rise of 193 % in 2010 compared to the previous year. The state also ranks highest on incidents of rioting and arson with a rate of 26 compared to the national average of 6.4.

Of the 2,41,986 incidents of violent crime in the country, Kerala accounted for 11,756, more than much larger states like Rajasthan (10,577) and comparable to its bigger neighbours such as Tamil Nadu (12,333) and Andhra Pradesh (12,491).

The state's rate of crime against women comes at 27, higher than Delhi at 24.6, which is often labeled unsafe for women. Bihar, incidentally, is one of the safest for women, recording a crime rate against women, of only 8.7.

However, officials say that Kerala is the safest place to live since the educated residents are more concerned about law and order.

“Kerala has the highest literacy rate and here even small children are aware about  their rights. There is nothing to worry seeing the report. We should be happy that the influence of people-friendly police officials have made Keralites  more open to law and order. They are now ready to address their issues.