SYLLABUS
GS-2: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
Context:
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recently released the Crime in India report for 2023, which is the most authoritative compilation of offences across the country.
Key Findings of the Report
Crime Overview in India (2023):
- Total recorded murder cases declined by 2.8% to 27,721 in 2023 compared to 28,552 cases in 2022.
- The overall crime rate increased from 422.2 in 2022 to 448.3 per lakh population in 2023.
- Motor Vehicle Act violations nearly doubled from 94,450 to 1.92 lakh cases.
- Crimes against the human body rose by 2.3%, with 11.85 lakh cases reported.
Crime Against Children:
- A total of 1,77,335 cases of crime against children were registered in 2023, showing an increase of 9.2% over 2022 (1,62,449 cases).
- The crime rate in 2023 stood at 39.9 per one-lakh child population in comparison to 36.6 in 2022.
- Major crime types included kidnapping and abduction of children (79,884 cases; 45%) and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act (67,694 cases; 38.2%).
- Regionally, Madhya Pradesh topped the list with 22,393 total cases (rate: 77.9), followed by Maharashtra (22,390; rate: 62) and Uttar Pradesh (18,852; rate: 22.1).
Crimes Against Scheduled Tribes (STs):
- Recorded a 28.8% increase with 12,960 cases reported in 2023 from 10,064 cases in 2022.
- Manipur (3,399 cases) was the most affected state, followed by Madhya Pradesh (2,858 cases) and Rajasthan (2,453 cases).
- The crime rate against STs stood at 12.4 per lakh population in 2023.
Crimes Against Scheduled Castes (SCs):
- Crimes against SCs increased by 0.4%, reporting 57,789 cases in 2023 as compared to 57,582 cases in 2022.
- Uttar Pradesh reported the highest cases (15,130), followed by Rajasthan (8,449), Madhya Pradesh (8,232), and Bihar (7,064).
- The crime rate against SCs stood at 28.7 per lakh population in 2023.
Cybercrime:
- Cases surged by 31.2% to 86,420 cases, as compared to 65,893 reported in 2022.
- In 2023, 68.9% of cybercrimes were aimed at defrauding citizens (59,526 of the total 86,420 cases), followed by sexual exploitation, which was at 4.9%, with 4,199 cases, and extortion, 3.8%, with 3,326 cases.
- Cybercrime rate rose from 4.8 in 2022 to 6.2 in 2023.
Crimes Against Women:
- It showed a nominal increase of 0.4% from 4.45 lakh cases in 2022 to 4,48,211 cases in 2023.
- National crime rate stood at 66.2 incidents per lakh female population.
- Uttar Pradesh registered the highest cases (66,381), followed by Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh.
- Major offence categories included cruelty by husband or relatives (29.8%), kidnapping and abduction (19.8%), assault to outrage modesty (18.71%), and POCSO-related crimes (14.8%).
- Cases registered under dowry-related crimes saw a 14% increase, with registered cases up from 13,479 in 2022 to 15,489 cases in 2023.
- Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest number of cases under the Act at 7,151, followed by Bihar (3,665) and Karnataka (2,322).
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)
- The NCRB was established in 1986 to compile crime data, functioning under the Union Home Ministry.
- It engages in the collection, coordination and exchange of information on inter-state and international criminals to the respective states.
- It acts as a “national warehouse” for the fingerprint records of Indian and foreign criminals, and assists in locating interstate criminals through fingerprint search.
Procedure of Collection of information:
- The annual “Crime in India” data is collected from 36 States and Union Territories following the NCRB-prescribed formats via a dedicated software application.
- Police enter the data at the police station and district levels.
- The data is subsequently validated at the district, state, and finally at the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) level to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Limitations in Data Collection:
- Principal Offence Rule: The system follows the Principal Offence Rule, counting only the most serious crime in cases with multiple offences, which causes underreporting of lesser crimes (e.g., ‘Murder with Rape’ counted only as ‘Murder’).
- Reported vs. Actual Crimes: The data reflects reported and registered crimes, not the actual incidence. Thus, an increase in numbers may indicate better reporting or awareness, rather than an actual rise in crime.
- Data Accuracy and Collection Limitations: Accuracy depends on submissions at local police levels, where vacancies, resource shortages, and inefficiencies may hinder complete data collection.
- Underreporting Due to Social Factors: Social stigma, fear of authorities, and marginalization can result in underreporting, particularly among vulnerable groups.
- Population Data for Crime Rates: Crime rates per capita are calculated using 2011 Census data, which may skew per capita figures.
- Effect of Citizen-Friendly Police Initiatives: Rising crime figures sometimes reflect improved police accessibility, such as e-FIRs and women helpdesks, rather than an actual increase in crime.