Fact-check: Punjab chief minister's claim of 70-80% crime reduction in 2025 proven false by official data
Despite declines in some categories, Punjab Police data shows overall crime fell only about 2%, far below chief minister’s claim
Updated Tuesday Jan 06 2026
Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has repeatedly claimed that the crime rate in the Punjab province has decreased by nearly 70% to 80% in 2025, in comparison to 2024.
The claim is false.
Claim
On December 6, while addressing a crowd in Gujranwala, the Punjab chief minister credited CCTV cameras, used to trace and track criminals, for bringing an overall reduction in crime in the province.
“Because of this system, there has been an 80% reduction in crime in Punjab, and there are many districts where not a single case is reported for several days. Punjab is now a safe place,” she claimed.
Her words can be heard at timestamp 25:40 on this link:
She repeated the claim earlier on November 19. On that day, she alleged that the establishment of the Crime Control Department (CCD) in Punjab has achieved remarkable results, reducing crime by 70%.
Her exact statement can be heard at the timestamp 30:00:
Fact
Official crime statistics do not support the claim of a 70% or 80% reduction in crime, as claimed by the chief minister.
Geo Fact Check compared the official crime statistics of 2024 and 2025, provided by the Punjab Police.
A comparison of crime figures from January 1 to December 31, 2024, with those from January 1 to December 29, 2025, shows that overall reported crime in Punjab declined by only 2%. While certain categories did register significant reductions, others recorded increases.
The maximum reduction was recorded in the category of gang rape, where crime reduced by 44% compared to 2024, and dacoity robbery with murder was down by 42%.
While crime against persons, against local laws, miscellaneous crimes, kidnapped missing women, and narcotic cases in fact registered an uptick.
Overall comparison of reported crimes in Punjab (2024–2025)
Additionally, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has repeatedly credited the Crime Control Department (CCD), an organised police unit established in April, with a sharp 70% reduction in crime.
The CCD is mandated to handle serious and organised offences, including dacoity, robbery, dacoity or robbery resulting in murder, dacoity or robbery involving rape, rape or sodomy, kidnapping or abduction, kidnapping for ransom, extortion, assault on police personnel, and other heinous crimes that pose a grave threat to public safety.
Yet, as the table below shows, none of these categories have recorded a crime reduction of 70% or 80% either.
Heinous crimes categories:
Verdict: The claim is false. Contrary to what was claimed, official data shows that overall reported crime decreased by less than 2% in 2025 compared to 2024.
Follow us on @GeoFactCheck on X (Twitter) and @geo_factcheck on Instagram. If our readers detect any errors, we encourage them to contact us at [email protected]