The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) has recently been in the news for launching several police-related services primarily focused on citizens, through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) platform. This move aims to improve ‘Ease of Living’ for people. Although such services have previously been offered via state-citizen portals, this is the first time they are being launched centrally.
About the National Crime Record Bureau
Established in 1986 under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), NCRB serves as a repository for information on crime and criminals, thereby aiding investigators in linking crimes to the culprits. The bureau, with its headquarters in New Delhi, was formed following the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA’s Taskforce (1985). It merges the Directorate of Coordination and Police Computer (DCPC), Inter-State Criminals Data Branch of CBI, Central Finger Print Bureau of CBI, and Statistical Branch of BPR&D.
NCRB publishes an annual comprehensive report titled ‘Crime in India’, which provides vital insights into the country’s law and order situation. The bureau developed CCTNS in 2009 to interconnect around 15,000 police stations and 6000 higher offices across India. CCTNS digitizes data pertaining to FIR registrations, investigations, and charge sheets from all police stations, thus creating a national database of crimes and criminals.
| Year of Establishment | Headquarters | Major Functions |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | New Delhi | Repository of crime-related information, publisher of ‘Crime in India’ report, developer of CCTNS |
Key Services
The CCTNS platform provides a range of services including missing person search, vehicle NOC generation, CCTNS Hackathon and Cyber Challenge 2020, among others.
Missing Person Search
Citizens can utilize this portal to search for their missing relatives against the national database that includes recovered unidentified persons or dead bodies. The availability of detailed information, including photos in CCTNS, makes this service highly beneficial.
Generate Vehicle NOC
This service assists citizens in determining the status of a vehicle before purchasing it second-hand. By verifying the National database on vehicle’s details, users can generate and download a No Object Certificate (NOC), required by the Regional Transport Office for ownership transfer.
CCTNS Hackathon and Cyber Challenge 2020
The NCRB and Cyber Peace Foundation have jointly designed this Hackathon aimed at enhancing the skills of police personnel at ground level and promoting smart strategies to effectively address evolving threats. Participation from law enforcement personnel and cybersecurity experts across India is encouraged.
Furthermore, NCRB has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), USA, for information exchange on child pornography originating from India. NCMEC, a non-profit organization established by the United States Congress, operates a centralized reporting system for internet service providers worldwide to report instances of child pornography circulation.
Cyber Tipline monitoring facility
This is a centralized system for reporting online child exploitation. The public and electronic service providers can report suspected cases of child enticement for sexual acts, molestation, pornography, sex tourism, sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the internet.