Delhi reported at least three rapes and 126 vehicle thefts every day in 2019, the year in which overall crime in the national capital increased by 20% compared to the previous year, according to the latest National Records Office Report. Criminals (NCRB).
Without a doubt, the national crime rate has grown 3% during the same period.
According to NCRB data, robberies accounted for the majority of crime in Delhi. More than 82% of the 299,475 crimes in Delhi were robberies, such as robbery, vehicle theft or theft that did not involve the use of force.
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Crimes in this category saw an increase of 25.7% compared to 2018. In stark contrast, robberies accounted for just over 20% of the 3.2 million crimes in India, where total robberies increased 8% .
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Thefts, however, witnessed a substantial 20% drop even though the rate (number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants) remained the highest in all of India. The robbery rate in Delhi last year was 9.8 compared to the India-wide rate of 2.3; and 6.3 by the next ranked state Maharashtra.
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Robberies are different from robberies. Thefts include the use of force while committing a robbery and are recorded in a separate section of the IPC.
The NCRB does not keep separate data for street crimes, particularly kidnapping, which is a growing threat in the city. This is because a crime such as robbery on the streets is recorded in the first information report (FIR) in the IPC section of robbery or a robbery, depending on whether force was used or not.
But data from the Delhi Police show that as of August 15 this year, there have been nearly 20 kidnapping incidents every day in the national capital.
Despite fewer people leaving due to the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a 6% (4,257) increase in kidnapping incidents this year compared to 4,010 in the corresponding period last year, according to police data.
Vehicle Theft Immersion
Vehicle thefts experienced a negligible drop of 0.46%. While 46,433 vehicle thefts were reported in Delhi in 2018, there were 46,215 such cases last year.
However, compared to the national average, the outlook in Delhi remains bleak. The vehicle theft rate in Delhi in 2019 was 231.8 compared to 17.8 nationally and 12.6 in Uttar Pradesh, the second ranked state in this category.
24 rapes a week
Rape cases in 2019 in Delhi were up 3% compared to the previous year, NCRB data shows. In 969 cases, children were victims compared to 989 such cases in 2018. Cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) marginally decreased from 1,736 to 1,719.
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NCRB data shows that in 98.7% of the total 1,253 rape cases in 2019, victims and suspects knew each other. Of these, 129 were family members, 588 were friends, neighbors or employers, and 520 were cases in which the defendants were online friends, separated partners or rapes under the pretext of marriage.
Reported cases of sexual abuse fell 13% to 2,355 last year. Incidents of sexual harassment dropped to 456, a 17% decrease compared to 2018.
Overall, crimes against women decreased by 6% from 12,521 to 11,755.
Drop in crimes against and by minors
The data shows a 5.7% drop in crimes against children, from 6,271 to 5,915. In addition, general crimes allegedly committed by minors also experienced a drop of approximately 3.5%, from 2,727 in 2018 to 2,633 last year. But the number of murders committed by minors rose to 72 in 2019 compared to 58 in 2018.
Prakash Singh, the former chief of police (DGP) for Uttar Pradesh and Assam, said that although he has not seen the NCRB data, he found Delhi to be a better place for registering cases compared to other states.
“If Delhi saw a 20% increase in registered IPC crimes in 2019 compared to the national peak of 3%, I must say that Delhi is a better place for crime registration than other states in India. I want to congratulate the Delhi police for recording the cases truthfully and faithfully, ”said Singh.
But more than statistics, the focus should be on the crime detection rate, the timely submission of charge sheets and the behavior of police personnel towards whistleblowers, Singh added. “This would help build trust among the public,” he said.
A spokesman for the Delhi police said: “The Delhi police believe in accurate recording of cases and a fair investigation. Our crime prevention strategies include analyzing all crime-related calls received in the police control room and, consequently, recording the first information reports (FIRs). These practices can lead to an increase in the registration of cases, but we should not worry about the numbers. ”
“Our focus must be on making efforts to catch violators and bring them to justice. In the long term, this will eventually lead to a decrease in the number of FIRs. Our main goal is to stop serious crimes such as kidnapping, robbery, home burglary, murder, and crimes against women and children. When it comes to theft cases, the Delhi Police have provided people with a platform where they themselves register FIRs online related to theft of property, including vehicles, ”said the spokesperson.
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