Crime rate in the State and Bengaluru rose in 2021 compared to the previous year, but did not reach pre-pandemic levels of 2019, shows data that is part of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report released on Monday. This is keeping in tune with the national trend as well.
Crimes registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) rose from 1,06,350 in 2020 to 1,15,728 in 2021 in Karnataka, which was still lower than 2019 levels - 1,20,165. A similar trend was observed in Bengaluru - it rose from 19,964 in 2020 to 21,548 in 2021 but was still lower than 27,251 in 2019.
Though 2021 was marred by the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, more deadlier than the first wave in 2020, there were no prolonged periods of lockdown in 2021, like during the first wave. Normal life continued though with restrictions.
In 2020, everyone was stunned with the pandemic and all of us were restricted indoors. This may explain the sharp drop in crime rate in 2020 and an upswing in 2021, said a senior police official.
“2020 and 2021 are really outliers and we cannot consider them. Data for 2022 will show crime rate returning to pre-pandemic levels. We are already seeing crime rates hit pre-pandemic levels,” a senior official said. Same is the case with road accidents - marginally higher than 2020, in 2021, but continue to be lower than 2019.
However, the number of murders in the city, mostly over personal animosities, has been on a decline since 2019, a trend that continued into 2021 as well. It is to be seen whether this downward trend will sustain in 2022 as well.
Decline in cyber crime cases
Bengaluru: The State and the city have reported a sharp decline in the number of cyber crime cases registered in 2021, compared to even 2020. It has dropped from 12,020 in 2019 to 8,136 in 2021. This is because Bengaluru, which contributes most of the cyber crime cases in the State, saw a sharp decline thanks to the Cybercrime Incident Report (CIR) system instituted in the city in 2021, officials said.
“The CIR system allows victims of cyber crime to lodge a complaint, freeze transactions and get back their money in some cases in case of financial crimes. In these cases, FIRs are not registered, but the victims get some relief. So the number of cases registered have gone down,” said a senior police official.
No sedition case in Karnataka in 2021
Karnataka had the dubious reputation of topping the charts in number of sedition cases booked in 2019 - 22 cases against 25 individuals. However, not a single case of sedition was registered in the State in 2021. There was a sharp drop in the number of sedition cases in 2020 - eight cases were registered. Police attribute the sharp spike in 2019 and most cases registered in 2020 to the Anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 protests in the State.
