Statsguru: 6 charts explain how pandemic led to rise in crime rate in India

Delhi had the highest crime rate among metropolises of 1,859 crimes per 100,000-four times the national average-but had the lowest chargesheeting rate of 34.1%

crime, police
Convictions, on the other hand, have risen consistently
Samreen WaniIshaan Gera
2 min read Last Updated : Sep 05 2022 | 6:10 AM IST
The Covid-19 pandemic affected economic activity and increased poverty. The latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that it also increased crime. NCRB data shows that crime incidence increased 30.4 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019. In 2021, the crime rate declined but was still higher than pre-Covid levels (chart 1). 

Police action also caught up as the crime rate increased. The number of cases where a charge sheet was filed steadily declined till 2019, but rose 8.6 percentage points in 2020. Although it dropped to 72.3 per cent in 2021, it was still higher than pre-Covid levels (chart 2).

Convictions, on the other hand, have risen consistently. And Covid provided a further spurt with a near-7 percentage point increase in 2021 compared to 2019 (chart 3). Although convictions have risen, pendency is also growing. In 2021, 91.2 per cent of cases were pending trial, compared to 88.9 per cent in 2019 (chart 4).

Further analysis of data shows that the overall conviction rate of 57 per cent may be misleading. For instance, in cases of crimes against women, the conviction rate of 25.2 per cent was less than half the overall conviction rate; it was 42.5 per cent for cyber crimes and 33.4 per cent for crimes against children (chart 5). 

Offences against the state had a higher convic­tion rate than most other categories. The crime incidence across cities varied as well. Delhi had the highest rate among metropolises with 1,859 crimes per 100,000 — four times the national average — but had the lowest charge sheet rate of 34.1 per cent.

On the other end, Ahmedabad had the highest charge sheet rate of 97.8 per cent. The financial capital Mumbai had a crime rate of 428 per 100,000 and a charge sheet rate of 86.2 per cent (chart 6).











One subscription. Two world-class reads.

Already subscribed? Log in

Subscribe to read the full story →
Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

Topics :CoronavirusStatsGuruCrimeNCRB

Next Story