NCRB was set-up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators, based on the recommendations of the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA’s Task force (1985). NCRB was entrusted with the responsibility for monitoring, coordinating and implementing the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) project in the year 2009. The project connects 15000+ police stations and 6000 higher offices of police in the country. On 21st August 2017, NCRB launched National Digital Police Portal. It allows search for a criminal / suspect on the CCTNS database apart from providing various services to citizens like filing of complaints online and seeking antecedent verification of tenants, domestic helps, drivers etc. The Bureau has also been entrusted to maintain National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO) and share it with the States/UTs on regular basis. NCRB has also been designated as the Central Nodal Agency to manage technical and operational functions of the ‘Online Cyber-Crime Reporting Portal’ through which any citizen can lodge a complaint or upload a video clip as an evidence of crime related to child pornography, rape/gang rape. NCRB also deals with associated work of Cyber Crime Prevention against Women & Children (CCPWC) through this portal. NCRB also compiles and publishes National Crime Statistics i.e. Crime in India, Accidental Deaths & Suicides and also Prison Statistics. These publications serve as principal reference point by policy makers, police, criminologists, researchers and media, both in India and abroad. NCRB has also floated various IT based Public Services like Vahan Samanvay (online matching for Stolen/Recovered vehicles) and Talash (matching of missing persons and dead bodies). In addition, NCRB also maintains Counterfeit Currency Information and Management System (FICN) and Integrated Monitoring on Terrorism (iMoT) applications. The Central Finger Print Bureau under NCRB is a national repository of all fingerprints in the country and has more than one million ten-digit finger prints database of criminals both convicted and arrested and provides for search facility on Fingerprint Analysis and Criminal Tracing System (FACTS). Through the proposed NAFIS System in near future, all States will be able to upload and search finger prints directly online to NCRB. CFPB publishes ‘Finger Prints in India’ annually and organizes the annual conference of Directors of Finger Print Bureaux of all the states.

Way ahead for NCRB:

Future road-map and action plan include:

1. CCTNS Phase II:
   1. Linkages of Specialized Solutions like National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) and Advanced Facial Recognition System (AFRS) in CCTNS. Integration of CCTNS with other central databases, viz Vaahan & Saarthi of MoRTH, Arms Licenses of MHA, Passport of MEA, IVFRT of GoI, MHA and TrackChild of MWCD.
   2. Hardware Infrastructure upgrade for all PSs, HOs, NDC, SDCs, and DRCs.
   3. Connecting all FIR Registering Units presently not covered under CCTNS project like Excise, Forest, Transport, CBI, NCB, ED, NIA, RPF etc.
   4. Robust Network Connectivity for Police Stations through BharatNet / NOFN or other service providers
   5. Application upgrade of CCTNS. Faster search and user friendly interface
2. CMAC: Creation of Crime – Multi Agency Centre (C-MAC) as per the recommendation of DGPs/IGPs Conference 2018, which may include sharing of information on Crime / Criminal Intelligence – Modus Operandi, sending alerts on Inter-State Criminals / Gangs to States/UTs, etc.
3. Crime Data Analytics: For strategic planning & predictive policing
4. Legal amendments like Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920, for empowering investigating officers across the country to take advance biometrics from Arrested/Convicted persons.

Source: http://ncrb.gov.in/Message/director-msg-en.html