Renuka Sane, Visiting Fellow at IDFC Institute, highlights why data on reported crime is insufficient to gauge the law and order situation. Crime Victimisation Surveys can step in to fill the gaps by estimating the true law and order experience of people.

Do people feel safe in their homes and in public spaces? Do they feel that the police is responsive to their complaints? How do they modify their behaviour in fear of crime? Only when we know the answers to these questions can we begin to quantify the extent and nature of crime, and police performance. She calls for a juxtaposition of the survey data with National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) numbers. "It might be useful for the police to ask - where the largest reporting gaps are. Which zones have a low ranking of safety perceptions? How can this data be used for more effective policing?"

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