October 6, 2025
NEW DELHI – India has recorded a steady fall in violent crimes, including murders, rapes, dowry deaths, and riots, over the past decade, according to government data published earlier this week on Monday. The trend marks a reversal from 2004–2014, when such crimes were rising, highlighted an official document.
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures show that reported rape cases fell by nearly 19 per cent — from 36,735 in 2014 to 29,670 in 2023 — after almost doubling during the previous decade. Dowry deaths declined from 8,455 to 6,156 over the same period, while murder cases dropped by 18 per cent. The sharpest fall was seen in riots, which reduced by about 40 per cent.
Officials credit the decline to digitisation and modernisation of policing. The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), which now connects over 17,000 police stations nationwide and provides access to more than 35 crore crime records, has strengthened coordination and investigations. “Technology-led policing has made a measurable difference in how quickly crimes are reported, tracked, and prosecuted,” read an official document from Home Affairs.
The Centre’s assistance to states for modernisation of the police scheme has also supported states in upgrading technology, communication systems, and mobility infrastructure.
However, criminologists caution that falling numbers should be read with care, as variations in reporting and state-level enforcement can affect overall trends. Despite this, NCRB data points to a broad decline: total violent crime cases dropped from 1.45 lakh in 2014 to 1.02 lakh in 2023—a fall of 29 per cent, and lower even than the 1.18 lakh cases recorded in 2004.