Status of Policing in India Report (SPIR)

Who publishes it?

Two groups publish the SPIR. Common Cause is a civil-society body that works on public interest issues. Lokniti is a programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS).

Lokniti-CSDS runs the field surveys. Common Cause leads the policy side. Some editions also have a funding partner, such as the Lal Family Foundation.

How is it made?

Each edition asks one big theme. Trained investigators survey citizens across many states. Several editions also survey police personnel.

This two-sided view is the report’s strength. It shows what the public says and what the police say about the same system.

2018: the first report

The first SPIR surveyed 15,562 people. Only 14% had had contact with the police in the last four to five years. About 65% of them were satisfied with the help they got.

Fear of the police was a central theme. The report showed that fear is not limited to people who have met the police.

2019: police adequacy and working conditions

This edition looked at the police themselves. Forces worked at about 77% of their sanctioned strength. Personnel worked 14 hours a day on average.

Vacancies were higher in senior ranks than in the constabulary. Reserved posts for Scheduled Castes also stayed unfilled in several states.

2020-21: two volumes

Volume I covered policing in conflict-affected regions. There, 73% were satisfied with police help, against 65% nationally. Yet in Udhampur, 42% of personnel called their area very risky.

Volume II covered the Covid-19 pandemic. Among police, 66% rated the police highly capable in the crisis. Only 41% of citizens agreed.

2023: surveillance and the question of privacy

The 2023 report was released on 31 March 2023. It covered 9,779 respondents in 12 states and Union Territories. Its theme was surveillance.

Only 16% said local police were adequately trained for CCTV, drone and facial-recognition data. CCTV in police stations showed no clear link with falling crime from 2016 to 2020.

Sources: Lokniti; People’s Archive of Rural India.

2025: police torture and (un)accountability

This was the first mixed-method edition. It combined surveys with interviews. It asked whether people accept police violence.

It also looked at how police personnel view torture and mob violence. The report links these views to weak accountability.

What did the 2026 report study?

The seventh SPIR is titled “Cybercrime: Victim Perspectives and Systemic Responses”. It surveyed 8,306 citizens in five districts of each of 16 states.

That sample included 1,085 victims and 814 people who helped victims. The team also held 37 in-depth interviews and focus groups.

Sources: ETV Bharat; India Together; The420.in.

How common is cybercrime?

About 13% said they were cybercrime victims in the last two to three years. The less educated and the younger were likelier victims.

More than half of the cases were digital financial fraud. Another 11% faced personal data theft, 7% cyberbullying and 4% online sexual abuse.

Sources: ETV Bharat; India Together; The420.in.

Why do victims lose faith in the police?

Poor victims were nearly four times likelier to pay a bribe, at 51% against 12%. Victims who paid a bribe or used personal networks were about three times likelier to recover the full amount.

About two in three victims were dissatisfied with the police. Nearly one in five found it very difficult to register a complaint. Nearly a quarter visited the station five or more times.

Sources: ETV Bharat; India Together; The420.in.

What do victims do, and what do they trust?

One in two victims also complained to their bank. Nearly two-thirds did so within 24 hours. About one-fifth went to court.

Over a third find UPI extremely safe. Only about a fourth fully trust their telecom provider. Looking ahead, 48% are very likely to report a future cybercrime.

Sources: ETV Bharat; India Together; The420.in.

What do the national numbers show?

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) counted 27,248 cybercrime cases in 2018. The count was 86,420 in 2023 and 1,01,928 in 2024.

So the rise is steep. Victim surveys like the SPIR show why many more cases may still go unreported.

Sources: ETV Bharat, NCRB data.

What is the link to the Prakash Singh case?

In September 2006, the Supreme Court gave binding directions on police reform. This was the Prakash Singh judgment. It asked states to set up a State Security Commission and fix the tenure of the Director General of Police.

It also asked for separate investigation and law-and-order wings, a Police Establishment Board and Police Complaints Authorities. The SPIR helps check how far such reforms reached the ground. See Police Reforms in India.

Which bodies hold police data?

The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), set up in 1970, publishes data on police strength. The NCRB, set up in 1986, compiles crime statistics. See also CCTNS.

Both give official numbers. The SPIR adds the public’s own voice. That is why exams treat it as a useful check on official data. For the wider system, read Ministry of Home Affairs and Central Armed Police Forces.

SPIR 2026 on cybercrime

• [Data] The SPIR 2026 report surveyed 8,306 citizens in 16 states. It found 13% had been cybercrime victims in the last two to three years. More than half of those cases were digital financial fraud. So what: it gives exam-ready numbers on who falls for cyber fraud. (Source: ETV Bharat) (Source: India Together)
• [Data] The same report found poor victims nearly four times likelier to pay a bribe to the police. Victims who paid a bribe or used personal networks were about three times likelier to recover the full amount. So what: it points to unequal access to justice even in new crimes. (Source: ETV Bharat) (Source: The420.in)
• [Mains Fodder] About two in three victims were dissatisfied with the police. Yet 48% say they are very likely to report a future cybercrime. So what: trust is low, but people still want to report. (Source: India Together) (Source: The420.in)