Overview

• Kolkata logged 83.9 cognisable offences per lakh people in 2023, the lowest among 19 metros, extending a decline from 86.5 in 2022 and 103.5 in 2021.
• Reported crimes against women fell to 1,746 cases from 1,890 a year earlier, while murders rose slightly to 43 from 34, even as overall violent crime declined.
• The city recorded an approximately 94.9% charge-sheeting rate, among the highest across major metros, according to the NCRB data.
• TMC leaders cited the numbers to defend Bengal’s law-and-order record, as BJP figures alleged under-reporting and victims’ families, including the R.G. Kar case, rejected the ‘safest city’ label.
• Across the 19 metropolitan areas, total cognisable crimes rose 10.6% in 2023, with Kochi and Delhi among the highest-rate cities, underscoring wide variation in urban crime patterns.