States spend Rs 77,487 crore on police forces in 2015-16: Report

Expenditure on police constituted 3% of the total Budget for states

Crime paradox

In 2015, the National Crime Records Bureau recorded over 7.3 million complaints of cognisable crimes. Cognisable crimes are relatively serious offences such as murder and rape, for which the police do not need a warrant from a magistrate to investigate. Between 2005 and 2015, the crime rate (that is, crimes per 100,000 population) for cognisable crimes has increased 28 per cent to 582 complaints per 100,000 persons, from 456. This has been primarily due to an increase in rate of alcohol prohibition crime, theft, kidnapping, crime against women and cheating.

How have states responded to this?

In 2015-16, states (excluding Union Territories) spent Rs 77,487 crore on state police forces, including on their salaries, weaponry, housing and transport. Expenditure on police constituted three per cent of the total Budget for states (Rs 27,20,716 crore). On an average, in the past decade, expenditure on police has been increasing at 15 per cent a year, though the annual growth has fluctuated widely (four per cent in 2012-13, 30 per cent in 2009-10).