Delhi residents feel unsafe, unhappy with police: Report

Less than one third of the people in Delhi rate personal safety in the city as "good" or "very good" while 90 percent of them feel that crime has risen over the years, a report revealed Saturday.

"Delhi's citizens, especially women, perceive public spaces to be unsafe," said the Delhi Human Development Report 2013, released by Vice President Hamid Ansari along with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit here.

While most women did not feel safe in public spaces, the workplace and public transport emerged overall as spaces perceived to be the least safe for women, said the report.

"Lack of functional street lights and safe public toilets especially in the poorer settlements reflects the inadequate attention being paid to gender-sensitive urban planning," it said.

"This contributes to the fear of violence in public spaces and is likely to adversely affect vulnerable groups like the economically weaker section, women, elderly and children."

Many respondents were dissatisfied with police due to lack of both approachability and promptness of response displayed by them.

However, around 55 percent of the respondents admitted that felt secure in their residential localities or neighbourhoods.