The Assam Police Headquarters in Guwahati, during its Monthly State Crime Conference on July 23, reported notable improvements in key crime statistics across the State. Data presented at the conference highlighted a significant reduction in the crime rate and improvements in the disposal of cases over the past six years.
In 2019, the crime rate in Assam was 387.5 per lakh population. By 2023, it had plummeted to 183.1, marking a decrease of over 52 per cent. Projections for 2024 (up to June) suggest a further decline to 139.3 per lakh population.
The number of registered cases has also shown a dramatic drop. From 132,877 cases in 2019, the total fell to 65,395 in 2023. For the first half of 2024, only 25,079 cases have been registered so far.
The conviction rate for cases under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL) in Assam has seen a marked increase. From a rate of 5.9 per cent in 2018, it rose to 16.75 per cent in 2023. In the first six months of 2024, the conviction rate reached 21.29 per cent, with June 2024 alone recording an impressive 22.36 per cent.
This improvement is significant compared to previous years. In 2020, the conviction rate had dipped to 5.5 per cent during the Covid pandemic but rebounded strongly, more than tripling by 2023.
The number of cases resulting in convictions has also surged. While 2021 saw 752 convictions, this number jumped to 4,642 in 2022 and further to 4,835 in 2023. In the first half of 2024, Assam has already recorded 2,798 convictions.
Alongside rising conviction rates, the efficiency of case processing has improved significantly. The percentage of cases with charge sheets filed increased from 34.30 per cent in 2022 to 50.22 per cent in 2023. For the first half of 2024, this figure stands at an impressive 63.31 per cent.
Assam’s Director General of Police, GP Singh, expressed satisfaction with these advancements, affirming the police force’s commitment to enhancing the State’s criminal justice response mechanism.
These positive trends in Assam’s law and order situation are based on projected population data published in the Statistical Handbook Assam-2021 by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Assam.
