Assam sees sharp decline in crime rate, disposal of cases improves

The Assam Police Headquarters in Guwahati hosted the Monthly State Crime Conference on July 23, revealing a marked improvement in key crime statistics across the state. According to data presented at the conference, the crime rate per lakh population in Assam has dropped significantly over the past six years.

In 2019, the crime rate stood at 387.5 per lakh population. By 2023, it had fallen to 183.1, representing a decrease of over 52%. The projected figure for 2024 (up to June) shows a further reduction to 139.3.

The total number of registered cases has also seen a substantial decline. From 132,877 cases in 2019, the number dropped to 65,395 in 2023. For the first half of 2024, only 25,079 cases have been registered so far.

Alongside the decreasing crime rate, the disposal of cases has remained relatively stable. In 2019, 119,300 cases were disposed of, compared to 105,130 in 2023. The average monthly disposal rate, however, has seen a slight decline from 11,221 in 2021 to 8,760.8 in 2023.

The conviction rate in Assam for cases under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL) has shown a marked increase. From a rate of 5.9% in 2018, it rose to 16.75% in 2023. Even more striking is the data for 2024, with the conviction rate reaching 21.29% in the first six months of the year. June 2024 alone saw an impressive conviction rate of 22.36%.

This substantial improvement contrasts sharply with the conviction rates from earlier years. In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conviction rate had dipped to 5.5%. However, it has since rebounded strongly, more than tripling by 2023.

The number of cases resulting in convictions has also increased dramatically. While 2021 saw 752 convictions, this number jumped to 4,642 in 2022 and further to 4,835 in 2023. In just the first half of 2024, Assam has already recorded 2,798 convictions.

Alongside rising conviction rates, the efficiency of case processing has also improved. The percentage of cases in which charge sheets were filed (indicating the case is ready for trial) has increased from 34.30% in 2022 to 50.22% in 2023. For the first half of 2024, this figure stands at an impressive 63.31%.

Assam's Director General of Police, GP Singh, expressed satisfaction with these improvements, stating that the police force remains committed to enhancing the criminal justice response mechanism in the state.

These statistics, sourced from the projected population data published in the Statistical Handbook Assam-2021 by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Assam, indicate a positive trend in the state's law and order situation.