LUCKNOW, Oct. 1 -- The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)'s "Crime in India 2023" report, while showing the sheer scale of the challenges faced by Uttar Pradesh, also contained a critical data point suggesting improved safety metrics relative to the state's massive population. Despite recording the highest absolute number (66,381) of crimes against women in the country, analysts point out that Uttar Pradesh maintains a relatively low crime rate of around 58.6-the key metric for assessing risk to citizens. The crime rate is calculated as cases per 1,00,000 female population. UP accounts for around 14.81% of crime against women reported from all across the country in absolute numbers (4,48,211). According to the NCRB data, this crime rate falls significantly below the national average of 66.2 and is much lower than the rates recorded in several other major states and metropolitan areas, including Delhi (133.6), Telangana (124.9), Rajasthan (114.8), Haryana (110.3). Uttar Pradesh ranks 13th when it comes to crime rate for offences against women among 28 states while at 17th position when compared to all 28 states and eight union territories. For a state with the largest population in India, this lower rate is seen as an indicator of relative safety, suggesting that the risk faced by an individual woman, per capita, is less concentrated than in other high-rate jurisdictions. "Managing law and order for a population the size of UP's is an immense logistical challenge," noted UP director general of police (DGP), Rajeev Krishna, adding, " The high case numbers reflect the size of the state, but the lower crime rate suggests chief minister Yogi Adityanath's zero tolerance approach towards such crimes, police efforts, including increased visibility of police, targeted safety schemes, and dedicated helplines, are having a mitigating effect on the per-capita risk." Moreover, the state government has credited this relative improvement to several focused initiatives like Mission Shakti as well as dedicated helplines for operation and promotion of emergency response systems and women-specific helplines. The state authorities also suggest that the relatively low crime rate, despite the highest absolute case load, may reflect increasing confidence among women to report crimes. They said the fast-tracking judicial processes for crimes against women and enhancing police patrolling in vulnerable areas have also been credited for the improvement in the safety of women. While the high volume of cases remains a pressing concern, the data offer a narrative of relative stability and improved per-capita safety, distinguishing UP from other states struggling with much higher crime rates....