Of those who failed to report crimes witnessed by them, 27 per cent cited lack of time as a major reason, 11 per cent said they didn’t want to get involved in any trouble, and 7 per cent said they did not feel it was their duty to do so.
As per a survey of over 25,000 households across six parliamentary constituencies in Mumbai conducted by Praja Foundation, an NGO dealing with transparency and accountability in governance, only half of those surveyed in the city — who witnessed crimes — took the effort to report the matter to the police.
Of those who failed to report crimes witnessed by them, 27 per cent cited lack of time as a major reason, 11 per cent said they didn’t want to get involved in any trouble, and 7 per cent said they did not feel it was their duty to do so. While another 13 per cent said they did not have faith in the police or legal system, 9 per cent said speaking to the police was a ‘painful task’.
Of those surveyed, 64 per cent who witnessed crimes and reported the matter to the police were satisfied with the response of the police. While 5 per cent of those surveyed in North Mumbai and North West Mumbai parliamentary constituencies witnessed crimes, the figure stood at 6 per cent in North East Mumbai, 4 per cent in North Central, and 3 per cent in South Mumbai. In South Central — which includes Chembur, Sion Koliwada and Mahim — 8 per cent of those surveyed had witnessed crimes.
In South Mumbai — that includes Worli, Byculla, Colaba and Malabar Hill — and South Central Mumbai, 60 per cent of those who witnessed crimes did not report them to the police. The figure was 54 per cent for North Mumbai, 48 per cent for North East Mumbai, 43 per cent for South Central and 42 per cent for North Central.
In North Central — that includes Vile Parle, Kurla and Bandra — half of those who failed to report crimes they witnessed said they didn’t have time for this. The percentage of those who did not report the crimes witnessed by them is the highest in South Mumbai at 23 per cent. The percentage of those who did not do so as they felt speaking to the police was a painful task was the highest in North West Mumbai, which includes Jogeshwari, Goregaon and Andheri.
The highest percentage of those who did not report crimes they witnessed as they did not think it was their duty to inform the police was again in North West Mumbai at 17 per cent. The highest percentage of those who failed to report witnessed crimes as they did not have faith in the police or legal system was in South Central Mumbai at 18 per cent.
Nitai Mehta, Managing trustee of Praja Foundation, said: “The police control room is understaffed with 57 per cent posts lying vacant, leading to confusion between the caller and the responder.”
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