Control the Capital’s rising crime graph

Aweek after the Capital got its new police commissioner, Delhi Police released data on the city’s crime graph. According to the police, cases of crime across most categories, such as theft, snatching, and burglary, increased by 8.1% (till July 15) compared to the same period last year. Crimes against women have also seen a spike. The city, which has a reputation for being unsafe for women, reported more cases of kidnapping, molestation, rape, and cruelty by spouses. Overall, the city reported a 16.9% increase in such cases.

Senior police officers told HT that the spurt in the number of criminal cases could be due to the online FIR registration system, which has made it easier for citizens to report crimes. But many residents feel that the debilitating economic impact of Covid-19 has led to an increase in the crime rate and that the case numbers could be higher than the data show.

While both explanations could be valid, the city’s rising crime graph is not good news. The new police chief, Sanjay Arora, will have to take strong steps to reverse the trend by adding staff (nearly 12,000 posts are lying vacant, the government told Parliament) for effective policing and investigation, improving the quality of beat policing, increasing the number of women in the force, empowering beat constables, strengthening intelligence gathering mechanisms and introducing technology (though it must ensure that these tools — many of which such as drones, facial recognition technology have already been introduced — do not violate individual privacy). In short, Delhi Police has to take a proactive approach, instead of a reactive course, to control the rising crime graph in the city if the Capital of India has to shed its embarrassing “unsafe” tag.