Satisfaction with police remains low among cybercrime victims, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• The Status of Policing in India Report 2026 reveals that nearly two in three (63%) cybercrime victims in India are dissatisfied with police handling of their complaints.
• One in five victims reported being very dissatisfied with the police response to cybercrime.
• Satisfaction levels decline significantly as a complaint progresses from the initial helpline contact to police investigation.
• Women victims reported significantly poorer experiences, with 26% being very dissatisfied compared to 18% of men.
• The report highlights a gap between improved accessibility of reporting mechanisms and victims' experience of justice.

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Detailed Insights:

• India's rapid digital transformation has led to cybercrime becoming a major public safety challenge, encompassing financial fraud, identity theft, and investment scams.
• Government efforts include expanding cyber helplines, launching the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, and establishing specialized cyber police stations.
• The satisfaction index, combining experiences across the cyber helpline, online portal, complaint registration, and police investigation, shows a steady erosion of confidence.
• While half of helpline users expressed satisfaction, this dropped to 47% for the online portal, 46% for complaint registration, and only 43% for police investigations.
• Lengthy waiting times at police stations are a significant deterrent, with 34% of victims waiting 2-3 hours and 14% waiting over 4 hours.
• Many victims require multiple visits to police stations; nearly one in four (23%) had to return five or more times, with rural victims experiencing this twice as often (38%) as urban victims (19%).
• Despite a modest majority (57%) finding the complaint registration process easy, 42% found it difficult, indicating mixed experiences.
• The findings underscore that institutional capacity for cyber policing is uneven, particularly in investigation, follow-up, and victim support.
• The Status of Policing in India Report 2026 was jointly conducted by Lokniti-CSDS and Common Cause.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Cybercrime: Criminal activities carried out using computers or the internet, such as online financial fraud, identity theft, and phishing.
• National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: An initiative by the Government of India to facilitate online reporting of cybercrime complaints by victims.
• Status of Policing in India Report: A comprehensive study evaluating the interface between citizens and the police, tracking cyber fraud from victimization to redressal mechanisms.