Crime Trends in India: Analysis, Statistics, and Challenges, Summaries of Law

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RECENT TRENDS OF

OFFENCES

INTRODUCTION

• (^) The most formidable difficulty in analysing crime trends across a vast country like India is the gap between the incidence and reporting of crime, on the one hand, and the reporting and recording of crime, on the other.
• (^) It is a well-known fact that not all crimes, or classes of crimes , are reported to the police for various reasons. Some of the reasons are cultural, while certain others are administrative.
• (^) For example, domestic violence against women and children, unless it is of an extreme nature, goes mostly unreported , as also the demands and realization of dowry, due to cultural reasons.
• (^) Many crimes are not reported to the police because of the hostility or harassment likely to be faced at the police stations by the victims or the complainants. Such cultural and administrative factors vary from region to region in the country.
• (^) Therefore, the reporting of crime does not always reflect the actual incidence of crime

What is the National Crime

Records Bureau?

• (^) NCRB was set up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals to assist the investigators in linking the crime to the perpetrators based on the recommendations of the Tandon Committee, National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Taskforce (1985).
• (^) It is part of the MHA and is headquartered in New Delhi
• (^) It also acts as a “national warehouse” for the fingerprint records of Indian and foreign criminals , and assists in locating interstate criminals through fingerprint search
• (^) The NCRB has four divisions: Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), Crime Statistics, Finger Prints, and Training.
• (^) NCRB Publications:
• (^) Crimes in India, Accidental Deaths and Suicides, Prison Statistics, and Reports on Missing Women and children in India.
• (^) These publications serve as principal reference points on crime statistics not only for police officers but also for criminologists, researchers, media and policymakers not only in India but abroad as well.

Latest Crime Rate Report of India 2024

and Their Impacts

• (^) In 2024, the crime rate in India stood at 445.9 per 100,000 people, marking a notable decrease from 487.8 in 2020. The prevalent crimes in India continue to be theft, robbery, and assault
• (^) According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the crime rate per lakh population dropped from 445.9 in 2021 to 422.2 in 2022. This decline is considered a more reliable indicator, accounting for the impact of population growth on absolute crime numbers.
• (^) However, amidst this overall decline, crimes against women saw a troubling increase. The NCRB reports a 4% rise in such crimes in 2022 compared to 2021. The majority of these crimes were related to cruelty by husbands or relatives, kidnapping, assault, and rape.
• (^) Among the states, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Bihar persist as regions with the highest crime rates in India. This underscores the need for continued efforts in law enforcement, public awareness, and community engagement to address crime and ensure the safety and security of citizens nationwide.

Highest Crime Rate State in India

• (^) Uttar Pradesh (UP) has the highest crime rate in India in 2024. As of 2022, UP’s crime rate was 171.6%, which is much lower than the national average of 258.1%.
• (^) However, according to NCRB data, UP has a significant crime rate, with reported incidents reaching 753,.
• (^) Other states with high crime rates include-Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Delhi

Major Crime Categories and Trends

• (^) Major crime categories in India include homicide, assault, theft, robbery, and sexual offenses, reflecting a diverse range of criminal activities.
• (^) Examining trends within these categories is crucial for understanding evolving patterns and tactics employed by criminals.
• (^) A significant contemporary trend is the surge in cybercrime, encompassing various forms such as online fraud and identity theft.
• (^) Ongoing concern exists regarding crimes against women and children , including sexual assault and child abuse.
• (^) Vigilant monitoring of major crime categories and identification of emerging trends play a pivotal role in formulating effective crime prevention strategies

• (^) Statistics, however, do not reveal the correct picture of crime situation in a society. The reported crime in Indian context is barely one-fourth of the actual incidence.“
• (^) The Punjab Police Commission (1961-62) stated that it was told by a senior Indian Police Service officer that unreported and unregistered crime was to the extent of 50 per cent of the crime that takes place and the enquiry made by it fully justified this estimate
• (^) Just as it is a fact that police do not register many cases, it is also a fact that, in many cases, the people do not report offences to the police.
• (^) In one survey it transpired that a third of the respondents indicated that they did not report the offence to the police because they felt that the offence was not serious enough.
• (^) This apart, approximately one-third of the respondents felt that there was no use in reporting the matter to the police, as the police could do nothing in the matter.

• (^) A little less than one-fourth of the respondents solved the problem themselves, and they consequently felt that there was no need to report the offence to the police.
• (^) In some cases, lodging of a report with the police was not considered appropriate.
• (^) In other cases, many people also did not report an offence to the police because they apprehended that bringing the matter to the notice of police would lead to needless enmity between them and the offenders.
• (^) As mentioned earlier, the NCRB is the main repository of crime data in the country and although it keeps revising its data collection format for the States, the task of restructuring the whole data collection format is ridden with complexities.
• (^) A further difficulty arises when data collection formats are changed to suit the evolving situation, since it then becomes difficult to effect comparisons between any given two periods of time.
• For the sake of continuity in comparisons and contrasts, it consequently remains convenient and conducive to lay-understanding to undertake crime trend analysis largely on the basis of categories of crime as defined in the IPC, since the Code, unlike the Local and Special Laws of the State, is effective throughout the country.

Benefits

• (^) There is a general impression that the criminal justice system is on the verge of a collapse.
• (^) This feeling is shared not only by the public but also by experts and even by the functionaries of the system operating at various levels.
• (^) It is therefore necessary to take suitable steps to overhaul the system so as to restore public confidence in its effectiveness.
• (^) For this purpose, the main issues that emerge from trend analysis have to be highlighted so that certain broad indicators can be identified as a basis for the formulation of policies and programmes for action
• (^) A system of parallel surveys should be established so that non-reported crimes can be brought to light and compensation to victims can be properly judged. Further, comparative data would reveal the bias of official statistics and indicate more appropriate indices.