60% Delhiites feel unsafe, 26% don’t trust cops, shows study

Residents of the national capital do not feel as safe in their city as Mumbaikars do in the financial capital. Delhiites also have less faith in their police compared

Residents of the national capital do not feel as safe in their city as Mumbaikars do in the financial capital. Delhiites also have less faith in their police compared to what Mumbaikars have in theirs.

Out of 29,950 respondents, 67% Delhi respondents said they did not feel secure for women, children and senior citizens in their neighbourhood. (Burhaan Kinu /HT FILE)

Praja Foundation, a Mumbai-based non-partisan organisation, released the findings on Wednesday.

For its second annual report on crime in Delhi, the foundation surveyed 29,950 respondents.

Up to 60% participants said they did not feel secure in Delhi, compared to 29% in Mumbai. The sample size in Mumbai was 25,250 people.

Delhi’s population is 1.87 crore and Mumbai’s 1.83 crore, according to the 2011 Census.

67% Delhi respondents said they did not feel secure for women, children and senior citizens in their neighbourhood. In Mumbai, only 33% felt their neighbourhood was unsafe for relatives.

The survey, claimed to have been conducted in seven of out 12 police districts in Delhi, showed that the number of people feeling unsafe was the highest in the south district.

The report pointed out that in the 12, 913 complaints against Delhi Police personnel in 2015, chargesheet was filed only in 7 cases. Conviction rate in cases of heinous crimes is 37% in 2015. It was 3% in 2014.

Praja managing trustee, Nitai Mehta, said crimes against women continued to increase in 2015 over 2014.

Joint commissioner of police (south west), Dependra Pathak, said official records show heinous street crimes declined. “We do not know on what parameters the findings were published. It is bereft of any truth. Perception is different from reality. An organisation taking a small size of people and asking questions does not show the real picture. We will, however, be glad to study their findings,” he said.

Foundation director Milind Mhaske said they will share the report with the Delhi Police and that the findings were based on replies to Right to Information Act pleas.

Read: No let-up in number of rape cases against children in Delhi

The report mentioned that west Delhi Lok Sabha constituency MP Parvesh Singh Sahib reportedly raised only one question on crime in Parliament, despite his constituency reporting over 22,679 cases. Singh has reportedly asked a total of 47 questions since the 2014 Budget Session.

“Only 20 questions are selected for each MP. There are over 500 MPs. I have always sent questions about the crimes in my area. I do not think only one was selected. I will have to check, but prima facie I think this is wrong,” Singh told HT.

The report also mentioned northeast constituency MP Manoj Tiwari.

While northeast registered the highest number of crimes in 2015, Tiwari asked no question about crime in his constituency, Praja officials said. Tiwari asked 20 questions since the 2014 Budget Session.

“I am aware of the crime status in my constituency. Yes, it is a matter of worry and I have asked four questions. We are also working hard to reduce crime rates,” said Tiwari.