Effective analysis of NCRB data can check crimes, says Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Shah appreciated the successful completion of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), an online database of the crime and criminals, connecting all police stations in the country. 

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Friday, March 11, asked all states to use the data collated by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for preparing their annual crime control strategy.

"The NCRB data should be used by all states for preparing their annual strategy for crime control. It should be used in a multi-dimensional and multi-purpose way in crime control," he said.

Addressing at the 37th foundation day of the NCRB, the Home Minister said the NCRB data should help reduce the crime rate in the country by 20 per cent in the next five years if it is made available to the right people at the right time.

He said the data ought to be preserved in a proper format, and a system has to be adopted for its proper analysis and management. The Home Minister said analysis of the NCRB data should be made in all states, at DGP headquarters, district SP offices, police stations. 

"The data should not be limited only to the IPS officers. Unless the NCRB data reaches the police station level, it is not going to help anyone," he maintained. 

He also felt that only statistics/data could have no results. "There should be an awareness of the data, analysis of the data and its utilisation. The NCRB director should have meetings with DGPs of all states, analyse the data and work on how to implement them."

"Apart from looking through the IPC sections, there should be social angles too. Why crimes increased in drought-hit areas or why many farmers engaged in disputes, leading to injuries and even deaths in some cases," he said.

The Home Minister said there is little purpose if one sees the data only through the lens of IPC sections. "….. there can be no solutions to the problems of crime. There should be a proper analysis of the data patterns by the NCRB and Bureau of Police Research and Development so that these analyses can be utilised by the states by intervening on societal issues," he said.

Shah said it is very important to have all crime data together, its proper analysis and dissemination to control crimes. 

Sharing his experience as home minister of Gujarat for nine years, he said the NCRB data was very helpful in controlling crimes along with the border districts of the western state.

The home minister appreciated the successful completion of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), an online database of the crime and criminals, connecting all police stations in the country. 

He, however, said that no central police agency was connected with the CCTNS. "Neither CBI, nor NCB, nor NIA is connected with the CCTNS. Everyone has its significance. But why FIRs are not shared. Why chargesheets are not shared. The Union Home Secretary should hold an initiative to connect all central agencies with the CCTNS," he said.