Crime in Bhutan

Registered criminal cases in Bhutan fell from 3,062 in 2020 and 2,819 in 2021 to 3,502 in 2022, 2,614 in 2023, and 2,476 in 2024. These figures show the course of reported and officially recorded cases, not all actual crime. In 2024, 1,706 cases were classified under the criminal code (Penal Code), 426 under the domestic violence prevention law (Domestic Violence Prevention Act), 325 under the law on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and substance abuse (Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse Act), 14 under the child care and protection law (Child Care and Protection Act), and 3 under the information, communication and media law (Information, Communication and Media Act). Other recorded laws each accounted for one case. Partner violence may appear partly under the Penal Code in this classification and therefore be underestimated. The RBP operates nationwide through police stations, outposts, checkpoints, and community police centres in the districts (Dzongkhags). In Thimphu, it also has the Women and Child Protection Unit and the Narcotic Drugs Law Enforcement Unit. Police patrols in high-risk areas, community policing, school and community work, and anonymous tips are among the prevention channels. Hotels, travel providers, or other institutions may help someone contact the police but do not replace the competent authority. In immediate danger, theft, robbery, or bodily injury, 113 is the RBP's toll-free emergency number. A non-urgent report should be made at the nearest police station. Details about the location, time, sequence of events, and the suspect's description are useful. The initial information is recorded under RBP procedures as a police crime report (Police Crime Report (PCR)); the reporting person receives a copy. Anonymous tips are possible, but an anonymous formal criminal complaint is not generally guaranteed. Witnesses and informants can request confidential handling and protection. After domestic or sexual violence, the RBP's Women and Child Protection Division and Bhutan's national commission for women and children (National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC)) accept complaints. The NCWC arranges protection, legal advice, and legal assistance and coordinates, when needed, with the police, courts, local government, and civil society organisations. The women's and children's helpline (Woman and Child Helpline 1098) and the psychosocial support and protection service (The PEMA) provide psychosocial support and protection; The PEMA lists the number as confidential and available around the clock, while NCWC information gives weekday office hours and voice messages outside those hours. Shelters, counselling, and legal aid depend on the case, location, and available partners. Outside larger centres, distance and accessibility may prolong support. Children have specific procedures in cases of abuse, neglect, abandonment, or conflict with the law through the RBP's Child Protection Unit, the NCWC, and The PEMA. Case handling may combine child-friendly investigations, counselling, care, education, vocational support, and mentoring. A general standalone juvenile police service is not evidenced for Bhutan. For online fraud, phishing, hacking, digital threats, or identity theft, the RBP's Cybercrime Investigation Unit is responsible for the criminal-law component. Bhutan's computer incident response team (Bhutan Computer Incident Response Team (BtCIRT)) at the government technology agency (GovTech) supports cybersecurity incidents, technical response, awareness work, and coordination. No single public reporting platform for all private cyber incidents is evidenced. Suspicious messages should not be answered; passwords, one-time codes, PINs, and bank details should not be entered into messages or forms from others. Substance-related crime accounted for 325 registered cases in 2024 under the statutory classification. The RBP and its Narcotic Drugs Law Enforcement Units work through prevention, reporting, investigations, and the treatment facility The PEMA. Different recording practices apply to individual RBP systems, so they must not be added into one combined statistic. For drug-related problems, counselling and rehabilitation are possible avenues alongside police reporting.