Silver lining: In '21, city crime detection rate surged to 82%

Despite the pandemic-related curbs, Mumbai recorded a 21% rise in registration of crime cases in 2021 as compared to 2020

- V.Narayan

Mumbai: Despite the pandemic-related curbs, Mumbai recorded a 21% rise in registration of crime cases in 2021 as compared to 2020. According to the Mumbai Crime Report 2021 released on Friday, 64,656 FIRs were registered in 2021 across the 93 police stations compared to 51,068 FIRs in 2020, when the city faced strict lockdown. Apolice officer said every year, around 20,000 FIRs are registered under the Indian Penal Code, but in 2020 and 2021, the number climbed up to 34,878 and 45,908, respectively.

The only silver lining is that the detection rate was around 82%—police cracked 53,193 of the 64,656 cases registered in 2021—compared to 79% in the previous year. In 2021, the detection rate for dacoity was 100% (all 16 cases solved), murder 99% (160 of 162 cases solved), causing hurt 93% (3,971 of 4,262 cases solved), motor vehicle thefts 49% (1,599 of 3,282 cases solved), and thefts 41% (1,870 of 4,534 cases solved). Since the pandemic started, police have filed 57,687 cases for violations for Covid restrictions. They account for 49.8% of the total 1,15,724 FIRs in the city in 2020 and 2021. Between April and December last year, 29,837 such cases were filed. For the entire 2021, it’s estimated that Covid violations could have accounted for around 60% of the total cases.

Former state DGP Praveen Dixit said leadership plays a crucial role in keeping a check on the situation. “Negative developments in the force [the involvement of a few senior officers in wrongdoings] has certainly resulted in demoralizing the force at various levels. Strict monitoring and tasking of the juniors are necessary to instill a sense of pride as well as dedication to duty,” he said.