The National Crime Records Bureau’s annual report, “Crime in India,” includes crime data for states, districts, and metropolitan cities. The official crime data of metropolitan cities in India often overlook the complexities associated with the jurisdiction of police administration and urban local bodies, as well as their impact on the crime rate. For many cities, such as Jabalpur, the crime rates are often inaccurate due to jurisdiction-related issues, which may lead to over-counting of crime incidents and undercounting of crime rates. Crime researchers mostly ignore these discrepancies when quoting NCRB data to study urban crime and comparative analysis of crimes in cities. 

The authors are thankful to Sampat Kumar Upadhyay and Aditya Pratap Singh, and the staff of the office of the superintendent of police (Jabalpur), and the administrative staff of each police station for sharing the unpublished data of 2023 and other necessary information. The authors acknowledge the Banaras Hindu University for providing the Institute of Eminence Seed Grant to Rambooshan Tiwari to conduct this work. The authors are grateful to reviewers for their valuable inputs and insightful comments to make this study more effective.  

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) was established in 1986 to serve as a repository of information on crime and criminals. It was established based on the recommendations of the Ministry of Home Affairs’  Task Force (1985) and the National Police Commission (1977–81) by merging the Directorate of Coordination and Police Computer (DCPC), Inter-State Criminals Data Branch and Central Finger Print Bureau of the Central Bureau of Investigation. The prime objective of the NCRB was to create and maintain a national database on crime and criminals. The NCRB (1986) has compiled and published state-wise data on crime in India since 1953. The NCRB released its annual report, “Crime in India 2023,” on 29 September 2025. The report has historic significance, as it is likely the last time crime data was published for crimes registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Whenever the next report is published, the system of crime classification is expected to be revised completely, as new criminal laws have been implemented as of 1 July 2024.

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