The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released its annual report on crime in India
Key Points from the NCRB Report
- The report is a compilation of data on reported crime from across the country, and provides the big picture of broad trends in crime registration.
- Reports by the NCRB include statistics on offences ranging from crimes against women to economic and financial crimes.
- NCRB functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs
What Does The NCRB Report Say?
- The data cover overall crimes, and separately note crimes against women, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), cyber crimes, etc.
- A total of 58,24,946 cognizable crimes comprising 35,61,379 Indian Penal Code (IPC) crimes and 22,63,567 Special & Local Laws (SLL) crimes were registered.
- This was a decline of 4.5%in the registration of cases over the second pandemic year, 2021.
- The crime rate, or crimes registered per lakh population, has declined from 445.9 in 2021 to 422.2.
- This is seen as a better indicator, since absolute numbers on crime increase as the population increases.
- 4,45,256 cases of crime against women were registered. This was an increase of 4% over the 2021 numbers.
- The largest share of crimes against women under IPC sections was registered under ‘Cruelty by Husband or His Relatives’ (31.4%), followed by ‘Kidnapping & Abduction of Women’ (19.2%), and ‘Assault on Women with Intent to Outrage her Modesty’ (18.7%).
- Reporting of cyber crime increased significantly by 24.4 percentage pointscompared to 2021, to 65,893
- Around 64.8% of registered cases were of fraud, followed by extortion (5.5%), and sexual exploitation (5.2%).
- An increase of 4.2% was observed in suicidesreported
- ‘Family Problems (other than marriage-related problems)’ (31.7%), ‘Marriage Related Problems’ (4.8%) and ‘Illness’ (18.4%) have together accounted for 54.9% of total suicides in the country.
- Kolkata emerged as the safest city in India for the third consecutive year, recording the least number of cognisable offences per lakh population among metropolises.
- Pune (Maharashtra) and Hyderabad (Telangana) secured the second and third positions, respectively
- Maharashtra reported the highest number of suicides, followed closely by Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana.
- Daily wage earners constituted a significant portion, accounting for 26.4% of the total suicides.
- The Crime in India report highlighted an overall increase in crimes and atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) persons.
- States like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana experienced a surge in such cases.
- Cases of crimes against children showed an increase of 8.7% compared to 2021.
- A majority of these cases related to kidnapping and abduction (45.7%) and 39.7% were filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
- Cases of crimes against senior citizens rose by 9.3% to 28,545 cases compared to 26,110 cases in 2021.
How Are The Data For NCRB Reports Compiled?
- For the NCRB’s flagship annual Crime in India reports, information is obtained from the police forces of 36 states and Union Territories.
- Similar data are furnished for 53 cities with populations exceeding 10 lakh each as per the 2011 Census, by respective state-level crime records bureaus.
- The information is entered by state/UT police at the level of the local police station, and is validated at the levels of the district and state, and finally, by the NCRB.
The Role of 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 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.
Conclusion: The Role of NCRB in Shaping Crime Data in India
The National Crime Records Bureau’s report provides essential insights into the state of crime in India, highlighting trends, challenges, and regional disparities. Through its ongoing efforts to improve crime data collection and analysis, the NCRB continues to be a key player in enhancing law enforcement and crime prevention across the nation. With its evolving focus on emerging areas like cybercrime and data-driven reporting, the NCRB remains at the forefront of India’s criminal justice system.
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