January 29, 2025
Rapid Insights
Strengthening Rule of Law
Artha Global’s 2016 Safety Trends And Reporting Of Crime (SATARC) survey is one of India’s largest crime victimisation surveys designed to estimate the gap between the actual incidence of crime and official crime statistics. Our team surveyed ~21,000 households across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru to provide insights into public perceptions of safety and police effectiveness, and the behavioral changes people make to stay safe.
Context
Safety and the rule of law underpins equal participation – especially for women and more vulnerable communities – in economic and social life. Yet, India’s official crime statistics often fail to reflect reality due to widespread underreporting. Without accurate data, core policing issues remain unidentified, limiting the scope for reforms, resource allocation and training.
Methodology
The SATARC survey was designed to address these gaps systematically. By gathering evidence on crime prevalence, public satisfaction with policing, and perceptions of safety, we aimed to equip police commissioners with reliable performance data to drive meaningful reforms. Conducted across 20,597 households in four major cities, SATARC revealed the discrepancies between actual and reported crime rates. This evidence-based approach fostered constructive conversations about bridging these gaps and improving policing practices.
Outcomes
Our commitment to running the survey annually (while keeping the data confidential) eventually led to institutionalisation by the Home Ministry, which decided to roll it out nationwide. Artha was appointed as external technical advisor.
The overwhelmingly positive response from the police to the initial findings encouraged us to delve deeper into the issues of police capacity, particularly in training and motivation. Our work led to significant developments:
- Police Training and Motivation Perception Study: Building on our earlier efforts, we investigated the training conditions and perceptions of new recruits at the Madhya Pradesh Police Academy. This study linked the quality of training directly to operational effectiveness, proposing significant changes to training practices to better meet the practical demands of policing.y
- Study of Internal Communications, Motivation, and Agency in the Police Force: Conducted among constables during the COVID-19 pandemic, this survey revealed critical insights into internal communications and motivation within the police force. As these officers dealt with expanded roles during the crisis, the study highlighted the need for robust communication and motivation strategies to enhance police. effectiveness.
