Delhi Police data suggests that the capital is now safer than at any time in the past decade.
Violent crimes such as rape, murder, kidnapping, riot and dacoity (armed robbery) have witnessed a sharp dip of 27.16 per cent in 2016 compared to the previous year, the statistics reveal. The figures also reveal that the crime rate had gone up every year since 2005, particularly for heinous offences.
For instance, after the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape, the number of serious crimes nearly doubled from 2,402 that year to 4,159 in 2013. The case had sparked widespread revulsion across much of urban India and led to thousands of people coming out onto the streets to protest over growing violence against women in the largely patriarchal and conservative nation.
However, despite the government strengthening laws, such crimes did not witness any major drop. Also, the total number of cases registered in 2012 was 54,287 and this went up to 80,184 the next year. There has been a 39.72 per cent dip in dacoity cases till November 30, this year, a 36.88 per cent plunge in riots, a 36.35 per cent decrease in robbery cases, an 18.09 per cent drop in attempt to murder cases, and a 1.78 per cent fall in rape cases reported at police stations across the city.
A sharp dip is also visible in the number of non-heinous crimes such as snatching and molestation. Crimes against women have always been a major worry for the force. But this year, Delhi Police managed to improve the situation. Earlier, on an average as many as six rapes were being reported every day, while in 2016 the number has come down to five.
Similarly, daily around 15 women reported being molested last year, while till November 30 in 2016 the average had reduced to 11. If the crime rate of 2014 and 2016, till November 30, is compared, then two years ago as many as 10,266 cases were registered under IPC sections (heinous crimes) while this year, only about 7,620 such cases have been reported. However, the data of 2016 shows a rise in cases of burglary, vehicle and other thefts.
