Crime rate down; trafficking in Bengal decreases 10 times ; Kolkata safest city : NCRB report

From 3,579 in 2016, the number of trafficking cases has been reduced to 357 in 2017.

Consequently, the number of victims below 18 years, who were trafficked, has also decreased significantly – from 3,113 in 2016 to 319 in 2017.

Programmes like ''Swayangsinddha'', mass awareness and active participation of the police at all levels are being considered responsible for these achievements.

As per the report, the State registered the highest success in terms of children being recovered or traced in 2017.

This jump in the index is largely due to the State’s improved performance in preventing human trafficking.

In 2017, 11,849 missing children below 18 years were recovered or traced in Bengal, which accounted for 16.82 per cent of all children traced (70,440) throughout the country.

In terms of crimes against women, Kolkata recorded 15 victims of rape and 53 victims of stalking in 2017, against 1,170 victims of rape and 472 victims of stalking in Delhi.

As per the report, 3,59,849 cases of crimes against women were reported in the country.

Kolkata has emerged as the safest among 19 Indian cities, including the metros, in crimes committed per lakh population, according to the latest NCRB report.

The crimes per lakh people fell from 159.6 in 2016 to 141.2 in 2017, which is significantly better than the national average of 469.2 for the 19 cities with a population of 20 lakh or more.

The city’s crime rate has, in fact, been on a downward slide for the past four years, with the total number of cases declining from 26,161 in 2014 to 19,925 in 2017, a decline of 31.3 per cent.

This dip in the crime rate is a result of improved policing following increased focus on infrastructure development, training and better manpower in the city police force.

Among the facts that stand out is the reduction in most types of crimes in Bengal.

The dip in crimes is in respect of various fields, some of which are given below (percentage change with respect to 2016):
Murder and culpable homicides: - 4.6 %
Kidnapping and abduction: - 14.6 % (national average is 7.7 %)
Robbery and dacoity: - 26.2 % (national average is -5 per cent)
Sexual assault: - 8.8 per cent (national average is 0 %)
Cruelty by husband/relatives: - 13.7% (national average is -6.7%)
Besides these, human trafficking in the State has reduced by ten times.

According to various statistics, Kolkata is the safest city in the country with the crime rate down by 31%in four years.