TimesView The dramatic dip in the city’s crime figures may not square up with your perception -- built on a daily dose of snatchings, shootings and murders – that policing is lax. But such crimes make a lot of noise and that can indeed amplify the impression that the law and order situation is bad whereas figures may tell an entirely different story. After all, only a few cases are enough to make the situation alarming in public perception. However, giving out figures may not be enough. The police also needs to communicate with people and explain to them all the hard work they do behind the scenes to make the city safe. Confident citizens will not feel under siege and can, in fact, become allies in maintaining law and order. TOI is committed to reporting the reality behind the crime data to find out how far crime has really been curbed and whether the fall is sustainable.

NEW DELHI: The crime situation in the capital appears to be well under control. At least, the numbers say so. The latest crime data released by Delhi Police shows a dip in all major crimes till September 30 as compared to corresponding figures last year.Not just that, many crimes, which had witnessed a constant rise in the last five years, have also gone down. According to the police data, 1,639 cases of rape were registered till September 30 in 2018 as compared to 1,673 rapes last year in the corresponding period; 2,535 cases of molestation were reported against 2,610 cases in 2017.Similarly, 357 murders were reported this year against 385 murders till September 30 last year; 487 murders were reported between January and December in 2017. Cases of robberies and snatchings have seen a huge dip from last year. From 6,772 snatchings in 2017, only 5,034 cases have been reported this year. The corresponding figures in cases of robbery are 2,230 and 1,852.Cases of burglary — which have always seen a rise since several years — have also dipped. From 14,307 cases in 2016, the numbers came down to 9819 cases in 2017. This year, only 3,090 cases have been reported till September 30. Last year, the number was 8,327 cases in the corresponding time period. The police have not clarified whether the data released by them includes the e-FIRs or the crimes being registered online.Vehicle thefts are only registered online at a virtual police station which doesn’t exist in reality. As a result, this crime has gone up substantially over the years. From 20,449 cases till September 30 last year, 33,273 cases have been reported in 2018. This indicates that around 125 vehicles are being stolen every day.Fatal accidents are on the rise as well. From 1,087 cases last year, 1,136 cases have been reported this year. Fatalities have risen by at least 10 per cent. Kidnappings of ransom have gone north too. From 15 cases last year, 17 cases have been reported till September 30 this year.In an encouraging development, 4,295 heinous crimes have been reported this year against 4853 cases last year till September 30. In 2014, this figure was 10,266 and 11,187 in 2015. It came down to 8,238 in 2016 and 6,527 in 2017.