Tamil Nadu’s latest crime stats show a bit of good news mixed with some tough realities. The National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) Crime in India 2023 report, finally out after a long delay, reveals that while murders and violent crimes dropped in the state, cases against Dalits and children climbed higher. This keeps Tamil Nadu’s overall crime rate just under the national average.
The report puts Tamil Nadu’s crime rate at 264.9 per 100,000 people in 2023, a tad below India’s 270.3. But crimes under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act jumped 9.1%, hitting 1,921 cases last year from 1,761 in 2022. Looking back five years, these incidents against Dalits surged a whopping 68%, from 1,144 in 2019 to 1,921 in 2023, with a big 27.9% spike in 2022 alone.
Child crimes in Tamil Nadu also rose, with police registering 6,968 cases in 2023—up from 6,580 the year before and 6,064 in 2021. In Chennai, the trend mirrored this, as child-related cases increased from 514 to 573. On a brighter note, crimes against women dipped slightly to 8,943 cases from 9,207.
Murders saw a small decline statewide, down to 1,681 from 1,690, though Chennai bucked the trend with a rise from 101 to 105 killings. Overall violent crimes, like assaults and attempts to murder, fell sharply from 12,325 to 11,302 cases. Kidnappings and abductions dropped even more dramatically, plunging from 737 to 496.
Crimes against senior citizens improved too, with 2,104 cases in 2023 compared to 2,376 in 2022. But Chennai saw a minor uptick there, from 391 to 399. Other concerns popped up: Juvenile crimes grew from 2,607 to 2,999, and cyber crimes along with offenses handled by the Railway Protection Force and state agencies also increased.
Experts point out that these numbers highlight real progress in curbing violent crimes and boosting women’s safety in Tamil Nadu. Yet, the sharp rise in atrocities against Dalits and child crimes calls for better social protections and smarter policing. They urge the state to ramp up community programs and quick-response teams to tackle these ongoing challenges.
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