Snatchings up 47%, rape and assault rise in first half of 2021 in Delhi

At least five people were raped and six sexually harassed in the national capital every day till June 15 this year, according to updated data uploaded on the Delhi Police’s website, even as street crimes such as snatching shot up by nearly 50% compared to the same period last year

At least five people were raped and six sexually harassed in the national capital every day till June 15 this year, according to updated data uploaded on the Delhi Police’s website, even as street crimes such as snatching shot up by nearly 50% compared to the same period last year.

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During the corresponding period last year, three people were raped and four were sexually harassed in the Capital, showed the police’s data, highlighting that crime against women is one of Delhi’s perennial and most urgent problems.

Cases of snatching, the most common street crime in Delhi, also went up 47%, with the city reporting at least 23 snatchings every day compared to 16 per day during the same period in 2020. A total of 3,829 snatching cases were registered till June 15 this year, against 2,612 cases reported during the corresponding period last year. Similarly, at least six persons were robbed every day in the city till June 15, compared to four in 2020, according to the latest data.

All crime went up by 8% in Delhi till June 15 this year, compared to the same period last year, the data shows. Till June 15 this year, 123,295 cases were registered in the city, up from 113,855 the previous year.

The data was made available a week after police commissioner Balaji Srivastava took charge from his predecessor, SN Shrivastava, who retired on June 30 after a 15-month term.

Between January 1 and June 15 this year, the city police registered 833 cases of rape and 1,022 of molestation, up significantly from the 580 rapes and 735 molestation cases filed in the same period last year.

To be sure, a lockdown was imposed across the country from March 25 last year to prevent the spread of Covid-19, limiting movement and travel, and restricting most people to their homes. Curbs began being lifted in phases from June 1.

This year, too, the state government imposed a six-week lockdown in the Capital starting April 19, in light of a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections in the Capital’s fourth wave.

According to the data, 2,315 heinous crimes have been reported this year, compared to 2,436 last year.

Police officers define heinous crimes as crimes that are serious in nature or extremely evil.

Senior police officers attributed the increase in crimes, such as snatching and robbery, to the “free and fair registration of cases” policy, and the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown, which they said led to a loss of livelihood for several people, adding that street crimes increased after the lockdown restrictions were eased.

“The Delhi Police has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to registering cases or converting valid complaints to first information reports (FIRs). All crime-related calls made to the police control room are scrutinised and converted into FIRs after due verification. We also receive complaints through various media, including our integrated complaint monitoring system (ICMS), which was launched last November with an aim to quickly process complaints and expedite flow of information to citizens regarding the status of their complaints,” said Delhi Police spokesperson Chimnoy Biswal.

Other crimes such as vehicle thefts, burglary, and theft also went up marginally. Data shows that 295 cases of attempt to murder were registered this year, up from 236 in the same period last year. Cases of murder and kidnapping for ransom have seen a decline -- from 226 to 196 and 8 to 7 respectively, the statistics show.

Experts said registration of data is just one of the parameters that can be used to gauge the extent of crimes in any city or state, and is not a perfect scale to judge policing.

“We all know about data fudging, so it cannot be the sole way of determining the crime situation in any city. The best way to judge the performance of the police is by ascertaining the number of cases they have solved and how many convictions were achieved in the charge sheets that were filed in the courts. Instead of just registering cases, the police officers should focus on meeting people in the field, addressing their grievances and strengthening their faith in the police. They should also be taking steps to curb crimes and keep a vigil on registered criminals,” said retired IPS officer Prakash Singh, who headed the Uttar Pradesh Police between 1991 and 1993.