Delhi registers 440% rise in crime in the last 10 years: Report

The report launched by the Praja Foundation on ‘State of Policing and Law & Order in Delhi’also highlights the pendency in the investigation of cases as well as trial proceedings in Delhi.

Last year, 41% of total rape cases were registered under POCSO Act in 2021, the report stated.

It also mentioned that 91% of total kidnapping and abduction victims were children in 2021.

On conviction rate, the report stated that it was 38% for women and only 52% for crimes against children.

The report added that 99% of crimes against women and children are pending trial as of 2021 in Delhi. It would take around 27 years to resolve such cases, as per the report.

No immediate reaction was available from the Delhi Police on the report.

Milind Mhaske, CEO of, the Praja Foundation said although it is a good sign that more citizens are coming forward to report a crime, a sharp rise in crimes against women and crimes against children in Delhi is still concerning.

Citing an example, he said that 86 % of Delhi’s victims of human trafficking from 2017 to 2021 were children under the age of 18 years. Moreover, 89% of all victims of human trafficking in 2021 were trafficked for forced labour.

The CEO of Praja Foundation attributed the delay in the investigation of cases due to vacant positions in the Delhi Police force.

“There was a 12 % vacancy in police staff in 2021-22, of which the highest vacancy was for the post of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (74 %). Police inspectors, sub-inspectors and assistant police inspectors play an important role during an investigation. While in 2020-21, there was a 13 % vacancy in these posts,” added Mhaske.

There is a pendency in trials at the judiciary level as well.

In 2021, 88 % of IPC cases were pending trials, while 96 % of SLL cases were pending trials. There has been an increase in the proportion of pending trials for crimes against women and children. The data on the pendency of trials for crimes against women shows an increase from 93 % in 2017 to 98 % in 2021, while the pendency of trials for crimes against children increased from 95 % in 2017 to 99 % in 2021,” the report noted.

Elaborating on the status of POCSO cases, the report stated that under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, girls were victims in 94 % of the total 1,454 POCSO cases in 2021, with rape (845) and sexual assault (501) being the highest.

“In 98 % of POCSO rape cases, the offender was known to the victim,” the report noted.