NCRB 2023 data: Kolkata tops safest cities list, Kochi worst among 19 cities

According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report (2023), Kolkata topped the safest cities list in the country with the lowest number of cognisable offences per lakh people. Cognisable offences are serious criminal offences such as murders.

Among the 19 cities with a population exceeding 20 lakh, Kolkata recorded the lowest number of cognisable offences - 83.9 offences per lakh people. This was the fourth time in a row that the city achieved this feat. It should be noted that this was a lower number compared to the previous two years. It was 86.5 and 103.5 in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

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Apart from cognisable crimes, the number of cases registered also declined for the second successive year, to 11,843 from 12,213 in 2022 and 14,591 in 2021. The reports suggest that the city’s crime has declined since 2016, when 159.6 cognisable offences were reported per lakh people.

According to the NCRB data, which was made public earlier this week, the average rate of cognisable offences in the 19 cities was 828. Police officers said the result was possible because of modern technologies and best practices in the department.

"Focussed attention towards creating infrastructure, adding manpower, upgrading technology, night policing, and the will of the residents to follow the law have helped greatly in the prevention and detection of crime," Times of India quoted additional CP (II) Subhankar Sinha Roy.

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Kochi - worst performer

Following Kolkata, Hyderabad was the second-safest city with recorded cognisable offences of 332.3 per lakh, followed by Pune (337.1) and Mumbai (355.4).

Reportedly, Kochi was the worst-performing city with 3,192.4 cognisable offences per lakh people, followed by Delhi (2,105.3) and Surat (1,377.1).

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Crimes against women

Not only cognisable crimes, crimes against women also declined in Kolkata. Kolkata recorded the third-lowest crime rate against women, 25.7 per lakh population, following Chennai (17.3) and Coimbatore (22.7) of Tamil Nadu.

Altogether, according to NCRB data, 1,746 cases on crimes against women were reported in 2023, compared with 1,890 (2022) and 1,783 (2021). Meanwhile, ten cases of the sexual assault (rape) of adults were reported in Kolkata in 2023. It was 11 in 2022 and 2021.

However, 172 cases of rape of minors were reported in 2023, which placed the city in the 10th position among the 19 cities. 33 cases of sexual harassment of minors were also reported in the city.

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Bengal’s overall performance

NCRB data for 2023 also showed a decline in overall violent crimes, though Kolkata witnessed a spike in murders. 43 murders were reported in 2023, compared with 34 in 2022.

The entire state registered 1,686 murders and 224 cases of culpable homicide. Overall, Bengal outperformed several states with a cognisable crime rate of 181.6, compared with the national average of 433.

Jharkhand (161.1), Nagaland (84.9), Sikkim (103.9), and Meghalaya (105.2) performed better than Bengal.

West Bengal's Industries and Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja attributed the dip in crime rates to the state machinery.

"The NCRB data vindicates our claims that Kolkata is a safe city and debunks political claims from opponents. CM Mamata Banerjee has stressed repeatedly that there should be zero tolerance to crime," she said.