Introduction
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an agency under the Indian Government which was set up in the year 1986 in order to analyse and collect information about crimes and criminals in the country. It came into operation on the recommendations of the Tandon Committee, Ministry of Home affairs (MHA) task force and the National Police Commission (1977-1981). The NCRB is responsible for coordinating, implementing and monitoring the CCTNS project which stands for the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems in the year 2009. The project has brought together over 15000 police station and 6000 higher police offices in the country. Also on 21st August, 2017, the NCRB launched the National Digital Police Portal (NDPP) which is a smart initiative providing aid to citizens and facilitate effective and efficient police investigations. It also facilitate people to file FIRs online and initially offered seven Public services in 34 Union territories and states. It enables the Police personnel to search for criminals and suspects on the CCTNS database and provides them access to police facilities such as CyTrain, NDSO, Cri-MAC etc.[1]
Origin
Since the rate of crimes have increased and new more advanced crimes have emerged, like the priorities of criminal justice systems and police have changed. New crimes relating to the internet, organised gangs, Security breaches, Militant attacks have increased due to improved technology, communication and transport systems. Due to the increasing rate of crimes, there is a shortage of staff and maintenance of records manually is cumbersome and time-consuming. To keep and exchange information about criminals working in other states and districts becomes impossible. It was necessary to do away with the Manual method of maintaining and sharing records on the criminal and crime activities that are of inter-state or inter-district in nature. Therefore, a computerised database and network of criminal and crime data was considered to be a more efficient alternative. Crime records play an important role in identifying suspects and prevent crimes. Hence, the Indian Police have sought to develop new efficient methods of storing data. Also, the central government has assisted and guided the states to modernize the police forces with financial aid and the formation of committees and organization. Some milestones achieved towards this goal to modernize the police system are:
Indian Police Commission (1902)
The commission had introduced police forms and registers for the first time for the documentation of information which were adopted by police stations in the entire country.
Central Finger Print Bureau, Calcutta (1956)
Finger print slips of criminals were maintained by the Bureau for all the states for exhanging information on criminals operating inter-state.
Inter-State Crime Records Division of CBI (1964)- A new Set up was created for collecting and distributing information on selected criminals who function inter-state.
DIG, CID Conference (1970)
Sub-committee was set up to look into the matter of computerization of records due to the ever-increasing volume of crime and criminal records.
MHA’s Scheme for Modernisation of State Police Forces (1970)
The Ministry of Home affairs prepared a 100 crore ruppees scheme in order to provide financial aid to states so that it is able to modernize its State police forces. Modernisation of crime records mentioned in the DIG CID conference in the year of 1975-1976. the scheme was further extended by 10 years.
Directorate of Coordination Police Computers (DCPC) (1976)
This organization was set up to provide assistance to states regarding installation and procurement of computer systems and the crime-criminals information system.
Study Group on Computerization of Crime Records (1976)
The objective of the group is to make recommendations relating to strategies of computerization of records coherent with latest technological developments in telecommunications and electronic data storage and processing.
National Police Commission (1977)
The commission had been set up to look into the entire police system in the country and to make recommendations about the cultural, organizational and procedural changes in the police in order to ensure that the democratic aspirations of this country as a welfare-state is being fulfilled.
Committee on Crime records (1978)
The committee had been set up to review existing criminal records and other procedures connected to it and suggest changes so that the police and state are able to equip themselves to meet present requirements of criminal and crime information.
The National Crime Records Bureau was set up on the recommendations of the National police commission, 1977 and a task force constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1985. The government accepted the recommendations and constituted the NCRB in January, 1986 with its headquarters at New Delhi.[2]
Objectives of NCRB
The objectives of NCRB includes to store, distribute and coordinate information relating to international and national crime activities, to process and act as a clearing house for information on criminals, to process and collect crime statistics, to provide proper training to personnel operating the crime records, to supply and receive information from correctional institutions for rehabilitation of criminals, premature release, parole, remand etc., to develop and modernize the crime record-keeping system, to develop computerized systems in central and state police organizations, to provide training for operating these computer systems, to operate as a storehouse for fingerprint information of both national and foreign convicted criminals. Further, it seeks to help trace criminals who operate interstate, to advise state and central government, to advise both the central and state government regarding matters of footprints and fingerprints, to conduct training sessions for fingerprint officials.[3]
Function
The national crime record bureau is entrusted with multiple functions. It provides services to citizens such as online facility to file complaints, background verification of domestic help, drivers, tenants etc. The bureau also maintains a National Database of sexual offenders (NDSO) from all the states and Union Territories. It has also been deemed as the Central Nodal agency for the managing of the operational and technical functions of ‘Online Cyber-crime reporting Portal’ with the help of which citizens can file complaints and upload videos containing evidence of criminal activities such as Rape, gang rape, child pornography. The NCRB is performs additional functions relating to cyber crime prevention against women and children (CCPWC) with the help of the Aforementioned Online Cyber crime reporting portal. It also publishes and collects crime statistics like that of rate of crime India, Accidental deaths, suicides and prison related statistics. Further, the NCRB has provided public IT based services such as Vahan Samanvay for retrieving and online matching of stolen or recovered vehicles and Talash which facilitates the matching of dead bodies with missing people. It maintains various applications and systems such as the Counterfeit Currency Information and Management system and the Integrated Monitoring of Terrorism application. The NCRB supervises the Central Finger Print bureau which a national database containing all fingerprints in the country. It currently has more than a million ten-digit database for fingerprints of criminals convicted or arrested and also has a search engine on Fingerprint Analysis and Criminal Tracing System (FACTS). It provides assistance in capacity building in areas of finger print technology, IT, CCTNS, digital forensics and network security. Hence, NCRB facilitates the empowerment, upgradation and development of police forces and systems which in turn helps in effectively capturing crime rackets and arrest criminals, thus, reducing the amount of crimes happening in the country in general.[4]
Achievements
The Interpol had asked the CFPB under the NCRB for comparing fingerprints of international fugitive in Colombia wanted for Homicide with another person bearing a different identity. The CFPB had successfully identified that the two individuals were one and the same by comparing the right Index finger impression of the former with the ten-digit fingerprint specimen of the latter collected by the CFPB. Due to the efforts of FACTS, a criminal offender named Singh Iqbal was rightfully charged after the interpol had sent them his fingerprint slip which was then compared by the CFPB in its database who found a trace of same fingerprints in its archives.
The NIA had suspected that N. Shanti Metei, chief of PREPAK which was a banned terrorist organization was participating in anti-national activities using false identities and forged documents. Through thorough comparison of fingerprints with one T. Hemanta Sharma, on sale deeds and land agreements, and the fingerprints of Shanti Metei, it was revealed that both are one and the same person and Shanti Metei was using a pseudonym for carrying out illegal activities.
Conclusion
The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) is an extremely important and vital organization for the maintenance of law and order, protection of the public order in society and ensure safety of citizens in the country. The NCRB can also be known as the IT Department of Indian police forces due to it providing with forensic technologies for reducing crimes. It processes and analyses data regarding criminal activity and furnishes the information to police and other investigative agencies. Because of the myriad of functions it performs, it has proved to be a necessary body to preserve, collect and distribute data regarding crime and criminal activities which facilitates the police and other investigative agencies to identify crimes and sort ways to reduce the rates of criminal activities in the country.
[1] Director’s Desk, National Crime Records Bureau, ( July 6, 2022, 12:00 pm), https://ncrb.gov.in/en/directors-desk.
[2] Origin, National Crime Records Bureau, (July 6, 2022, 12:35 pm) https://ncrb.gov.in/en/origin-ncrb.
[3] Abhishek Wadhwa, Importance of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), LawOF, (July 7, 10:10 am) https://www.lawof.in/importance-national-crime-records-bureauncrb/.
[4] National Crime Records Bureau, DiligentIAS, (July 7, 12:11 pm), https://diligentias.com/national-crime-records-bureau-ncrb/.
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