CHAPTER 3

KOLKATA POLICE: FROM COLONIAL TO THE

PRESENT ERA

• Prelude
• The History of Kolkata Police: Pre Regulatory Stage (1690-
1855)
• Kolkata Police: As A Commissionerate (1856 -1947)
• The Kolkata Police since Independence
• Concluding Remarks

74
 Chapter 3
Kolkata Police: From Colonial to the Present Era

3.1. PRELUDE
Kolkata, a conurbation of dreams and aspirations, love and warmth, distress and
dejection, paucity and squalor, affluence and splendor, is sparkling; always full of life
and tradition- a colorful assortment of moods, styles, cultures, politics, industry and
commerce. It may be noted in this context that the term Kolkata Police has been used
throughout this chapter in view of its present name though originally it was known as
‘Calcutta Police’. From inception to the present time, Kolkata as it is now called has
survived several ups and downs and is rightfully called the cultural capital of India.
In the year 2006 the Kolkata Police celebrated 150 years of its existence as a separate
commissionerate and made several plans for making it more modernized,
technologically updated with a people friendly attitude. Information Technology1
(IT) are catching on all over the world and Kolkata cannot keep itself secluded from
it. The government has undertaken the policy of e governance2 and the police
have also been incorporated within its fold. The focus of this chapter is to highlight
the multi-faceted transitions Kolkata police have undergone from its inception, i.e.
from the colonial rule to the present day. It also deserves mention that the
technologies that have been incorporated in police work from time to time have been
as an impact of societal needs. From the stick in the colonial period to the computers
in recent times, technologies are shaped and constructed according to the social
environment to ensure greater application and utility. This chapter is divided in the
following subthemes:
a) analysis and evaluation of history of Kolkata Police from its inception to the
year 1855 before it became a commisionerate;
b) growth of the Kolkata Police Commissionerate (1856) to the year of
Independence (1947) and
c) the Kolkata Police since independence.

75
3.2. THE HISTORY OF KOLKATA POLICE: PRE REGULATORY
STAGE (1690-1855)
The Genesis
The history of the Kolkata Police would be incomplete without the history of
Kolkata, the city, which it has to care for. Both Kolkata and the Kolkata Police are the
creation of the English East India Company and they still bear a lot of reminiscences
of the past mentor. According to Cotton, Kolkata for a century and a half she has been
the central seat of the English Government. Circumstances have made her the pivot of
the administration, and it cannot be denied that she is nobly symbolical of her high
position. Kolkata happened to be the capital of India during the British rule till 1911.
It was also an important seat of the nationalist movement and was bubbling with
revolutionary ideas of freedom, liberty and equality. The supremacy of the
enlightened intelligentsia and their vivid influence in the lives of not only the
Kolkatans but also the whole of India cautioned the British of the impending danger
and forced them to shift the capital to New Delhi. (Cotton 1909: 195)
In the year 1679 a British Ship named the "Phakon" sailed up the river Hooghly
and anchored off the area later known as Garden Reach. Captain Stafford, the
commander of the vessel, sent out messages to the Bengali merchants in the area to
develop trade contacts. It was a washerman named Ratan, who had some acquaintance
with the English language, came to the aid of the Englishmen. The first
"Kuthi"(Office) of the East India Company was subsequently erected at Garh
Govindpore (South –West Calcutta) in the year 1680 (Roy 1982:14-5). An
Englishman, Job Charnock of Lancashire, Chief of British Factory of East India
Company, founded Calcutta, now known as Kolkata, on 24th August 1690. Azim uz
Shaan, the grandson of Aurangzeb gave the British the right to purchase 3 villages in
Bengal. Thus the Chaudhury’s the then zamindars of the area, handed over 3 villages
namely Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kolikata to the British, which later formed a
nucleus of a fortified military settlement and a prime location for the East India
Company’s operation in Bengal (Chatterjee 1960:1-18). The previous two kuthis
erected at Suttanutty had withered away and Charnock renewed the settlement of the
English in 1690 and for the first time they thought of having a permanent trading post
as well as a settlement of their own. They started constructing 'pucca ' brick buildings

76
instead of mud huts and to have a protected place – a fort of their own (Roy 1982:
20).

Prevention and detection of Crime: Mechanism during Mughal Period

The Mughal government was responsible through the zamindar for the
prevention and detection of crime. In Mughal system of administration the nizam,
fauzdar, kotwal, daroga-I-adalat-alia, diwan, daroga-I-adalat-diwani, muhtasib, mufti
and kanungo pertained more to the general administration than to the adminitration of
justice. The fauzdar being the police officer entrusted with the maintenance of public
peace was not vested with any judicial functions. The kotwal or the peace officer of
the night was also not entrusted with any judicial functions. The adalat alia, the adalat
diwani and the qazi dealt with only civil cases. However in Bengal in the latter part of
Aurangzeb’s rule, zamindars reigned supreme and were the dispensers of civil and
criminal justice (Griffith 1972:7-17).
On the 6th February 1704, after at a meeting at Fort William the officers of
John Company decided to set up a watch and ward unit to combat robbers, dacoits and
thagi3. It consisted of a head-peon, 45 peons, 2 chobdars (sceptre bearers) and 20
goalas or milkmen who were expert lathiyals. With their appointment was laid the
foundation of Kolkata police. Within a span of a year the head peon was designated as
the kotwal and the peons were renamed as paiks. They were armed with spears and
staffs (Roy 1994:2). However in 1706, when this unit failed to check crime, 31 more
paiks were given the assignment to protect the life and property of the people. Night
Patrolling started in 1710. The Fire Brigade was established during this period and the
Kolkata Police also ensured to maintain the cleanliness of the city (Gupta: 2002:12).
In 1720 the company officially appointed the zamindar of Calcutta as in charge of
civil and criminal administration. Mr. Freke, the first zamindar of Calcutta, was to be
assisted in the discharge of his functions by an Indian functionary known as the
“black deputy”. They drew only a very modest official salary, but the authority and
influence that they exercised, brought many opportunities in their way, to augment
their income by illicit levies on the people. They did not have an entirely free hand in
this regard, as certain rules stated that the fines realized from natives in town area for
criminal offences were to be used for such civic purposes as filling potholes and
developing areas in and around the town (Roy 1982: 26). This paved the way for the
development of municipalities.
77
 From 1720 –1756 Babu Gobindaram Mitra held the post of ‘black deputy’.
It was during his regime that Kolkata was divided into thanas under thanadars
subordinate to whom were paiks, naiks and naibs. Moreover there were burkandazes,
peyadas, peons and harkaras under the zamindars. Burkandazaes were the strong arm
of the rural government; peyadas were used as labour force, peons for miscellaneous
work and harkaras were responsible for distributing letters and dispatches
(Chattopadhyaya 1982:21). The burkandazes were armed with rifles, the chowkidars
carried staffs, and the night guards had swords while the harkaras were equipped with
spears. There was a small River Police to provide security to riverine trade (Gupta:
2002:13). It was formed mainly because "between the years 1700-1790 trade
expanded rapidly and industries began to develop. The buildings constructed by the
Europeans for residential and business purposes were located chiefly in Suttanutty on
the Eastern bank of the river and ran roughly in the shape of an arc, starting from
Chitpore and Hatkhola in the north and ending in the vicinity of the present site of
Fort William in the South" (Roy 1982:32). Babu Gobindaram Mitra also created 3
posts of naib diwans with the following three assignments: (1) to maintain roads and
ponds as well as cleanliness and sanitation in the township; (2) to look after the
collection of ground rents and the supply of food, and (3) in charge of the police
including the river police and the excise department. The fall of Calcutta in 1756 and
its recapture followed by the battle of Plassey had its impact on the development of
township. The policing of township had to improve with the collection and collation
of intelligence in addition to the maintenance of watch on criminals. During the siege
of Calcutta by Siraj ud daulah the Nawab of Bengal, the town guards stood well by
their leader, but the over all performance of the police force was not satisfactory. The
main problem of the police force in Calcutta was the shortage of manpower (Biswas
1992: 246).
Emergent of Policing during East India Company Rule at Calcutta
The capture of Calcutta by Siraj ud Daulah had left wide marks in the growth of
Calcutta. After its recapture by Clive and Watson, the East India Company had to take
a lot of initiative to get it back to its earliest form, if possible in a better form.
According to Cotton “when Clive and Watson retook Calcutta in 1757 seven months
after the sack, they found most of the best houses of the English demolished or
damaged by fire. The greater part of the merchandise belonging to the Company,
which was stored up in the Fort, was found untouched, for this part of the plunder had
78
been reserved for the Nabob. Immediately after the receipt of the 'restitution-money',
a Committee of the most respectable inhabitants was appointed to distribute it. They
executed the office with much minuteness, if not also with discretion and equity.
Commerce revived; the destroyed houses were re-built; in fact, we may date modern
Calcutta from 1757" (Cotton 1909: 60).
In 1765 when the East India Company acquired the diwani of Bengal,
zamindars had the responsibility of maintaining law and order in their jurisdiction on
behalf of the provincial government. Lord Cornwallis was the first governor general
to place the responsibility of policing the country on the government. The policing
system improved when Warren Hastings became the Governor (1772 - 1774). The
Governor General in Council passed in 1778 a law providing for the appointment of a
Superintendent and not fewer than 700 paiks under the supervision of 31 thanadars
and 34 naibs. In 1780 the Commissioners were appointed from town, called
commissioners of police, who were to look after the watch and ward of the town and
were empowered to levy 2 annas per shop and one anna per house. The fund thus
raised was meant for the cleanliness and improvement of the town. But this does not
pose a problem for the maintenance of the police (Chattopadhyay 1982: 35). Calcutta
was divided into two worlds: the southern or European and northern or native. There
were vast differences between the European town and the 'black town". The houses in
the European town were well-furnished, airy, well built and some of them equal to
palaces. The black town was congested with people living in badly built unimpressive
houses with a few exceptions (Mukherjee 1977:4). On the 9th June 1785 a notice
issued in the Calcutta Gazette by the Commissioner in charge of policing, divided
Kolkata into thirty-one thanas each under a thanadar. Four constables were allotted
for each thana in the English town while the two constables were appointed in each
thana in the 'black' town. In case of grievance the inhabitants were exhorted to apply
to the officers of the concerned thana and if they showed inability or neglect, they
were to move the Superintendent of Police. In 1791 the city witnessed the
appointment of two deputy superintendents to discharge the police functions. The
district magistrate appointed Stipendiary thanadars or police station officers for each
police station (Biswas: 1992: 246).
Impact of Great Famine in Reorganising Calcutta Police
The developments that took place in police administration in the later half of
the period between 1750 to 1800 was mainly as a result of the Great Famine
79
(Chhiattarer Manvantar) of 1770. About one third of the population of Bengal died
and it caused immense unrest in the region. The discontent of the people due to the
ruthless expropriation and exploitation of the British also led to Fakir (1771-`1800),
Chuar (1795-1800 ) and the Sanyyasi (1855), rebellions in Bengal (Chattopadhyay
2000: 2-15). The famine carried off, according to Cotton, "no less than 76,000 souls in
the town of Calcutta between 15th July and the 10th September. The very streets of
Calcutta were blocked by the dying and the dead and the mortality among the
Europeans alone was returned at 1500" (Cotton 1909: 67). The unabated and reckless
raising of land revenue by the East India Company in rural Bengal forced many
impoverished men walk down the streets of Calcutta. The company’s drive for
extensive urbanization uprooted many residents of the three villages from their hearth
and home. A large number of the city’s unorganized poor precariously scraped a
livelihood by means that were often ignoble and furtive, murderous and barbaric,
creating an underworld of innovative tricks and plots, and ingenious devices of
robberies and murders (Banerjee 2006:10-11). According to Chattopadhyay, "the
period following the famine was marked by a high rate of violence and a overall
decline in the law and order in Bengal. ... the unprecedented violence of the period
was triggered off, in the main, by the simultaneous operation of two factors: ruthless
expropriation of available social surplus characteristic of the predatory phase of the
colonial rule in Bengal and the disappearance of the Mughal System, which had by
and large successfully maintained the social equilibrium. While the first factor helps
us to identify the new forces unleashed on the economy, the second prompts us to
revise the rather simplistic suggestion that the traditional mechanism of police control
broke down under the weight of corruption and inefficiency" (2000: 22).
Appointment of Justice of Peace under Regulation Act
In 1800 Lord Wellesley had appointed a committee to consider the policing
of Calcutta and the result was the Regulation of 1806. The regulation provided for the
constitution of Justices of the Peace as Magistrates within a radius of 20 miles from
Calcutta. Justices were empowered to arrest persons suspected of committing offences
in the city. The town guards recruited from the artillery formed an armed reserve and
dealt efficiently with riotous sailors and deserters. The river police consisted of nine
departments, eighteen peons and ninety two boatmen with bholio or covered boat for
the magistrates and 9 chowki boats to patrol the river. The condition of the prison
houses was satisfactory. The Chief magistrate looked after the repair of roads, the
80
lighting of streets, the watering of roads, fire fighting, abatement of nuisance and
prevention of encroachments on streets and markets (Biswas 1992: 252-53).
Between the years 1821 and 1837 the population of the city of Calcutta
increased rapidly owing to the migration of people in search of jobs. This process
continued till the middle of the 19th century and is symbolic of the growth of
urbanization that had then started in Kolkata (Mukherjee 1977:6-7). Calcutta came to
be divided into two classes. “There was the abhijat bhadrolok, the big zamindars,
merchants and top administrators, who were the owners of land and capital (although
as a capitalist class they were subservient to the British.) Then there were the dockers,
the builders, the workers, the domestics, the palankin bearers and other wage earners-
a large migrant labour force, some of whom came from Orissa and the north, who
formed the class of producers. The relationship between these two classes was
contractual and economic and was not determined by caste or custom." (Ibid.: 26) In
1829, the Magistrates of Justice were administering the Kolkata Police department.
The Magistracy was divided into 4 departments: the Report, Felony (common law
system for very serious crimes), Misdemeanor (common law system for less serious
crimes), and Conservancy (a court or commission with jurisdiction over a river, port
area of countryside etc.). The Report department constituted thanadari police,
boundary Police and town guard departments. It was the forerunner of the present day
office of the Commissioner of Police. The town guards acted as the reserve force and
were subordinates to the town Major and sergeants who were recruited from the
Company’s artillery department. Calcutta was divided into forty thanas each having a
thanadar, with a naib to act as his substitute and twenty to thirty chaukidars. There
was also a patrol force in each thana divided into three parties each with two naibs
and chaukidars. There was also a River Police and Boundary Police which were well
armed and appointed from upcountry (Chatterjee 1973:36). In 1845 a committee
under J.H.Patton, which thereby brought vital changes, emulated the police
organization on the London Metropolitan Police. The deficiencies of the police
organization were brought to light and the necessity of promotions from the rank of
burkandez to the rank of daroga was pointed out. A commissioner of police was
appointed with powers of Justice of Peace, to preserve law and order and to detect
crime and detain offenders (Roy 1994:12).

81
Police in 19th Century Calcutta
According to Mukherjee, "Calcutta in the 19th century was a peaceful city. It was
then not plagued by the periodic riots, mob-violence, and political murders, as it has
been in the 20th century. This does not mean that there was no violence in the city
during the 19th century: in fact newspapers are full of reports of violent crimes,
murders and armed robberies. But these were committed by individuals or groups of
gangsters, which did not threaten the stability of social order" (1977:62). There have
been instances recorded in historical anecdotes, which expose the inefficiency of the
Kolkata Police in the 18th and 19th centuries. Le Grandpe in A Voyage in the Indian
Ocean and to Bengal has stated: “So considerable town ought to possess a vigilant
police, but in this respect it is very defective. Those who disturb the public tranquility
are indeed apprehended but the condition of the town is disgustingly unclean. I have
seen an instance of this, where the body has remained two days without being taken
away by the police”(Nair 1984:231-32) Dacoity was common in the outskirts of
Calcutta. In 1780 in a Calcutta paper it is stated “a few nights ago four armed men
entered in house of Moorman near Chouringhi and carried off his daughter"(Long
1974:132). Again Huggins pointed out: “The police establishment of Calcutta is
greatly complained of, and is very defective, both as regards surveillance and efficient
useful regulations. The Magistrates are not civilians, possessing permanent
appointments, but persons who receive their situation from and hold them at the
pleasure of the government. The police magistrates are personally acquainted with the
most respectable inhabitants, and will undoubtedly favour their friends. In Calcutta
the police regulations common to great towns are unknown. There is no registry of
vehicles or conveyances for public accommodations such as hackries, palanquins,
boats upon the river, which should be all under proper regulations. Police interference
is confined solely to keeping peace and the removal of nuisances and in other
respects it is not known" (Quoted in Nair 1989:421-23).

3.3. KOLKATA POLICE: AS A COMMISSIONERATE (1856 -

1947)
In modern India the process of urbanization was bound up with the growth
of colonial administration and market economy. Calcutta was conditioned by the
social mores of rural Bengal and there was no dichotomy between modernity and

82
tradition in Calcutta but each influenced the other. Calcutta, the second largest city in
the Empire and the capital of the British India, had close ties with its rural setting and
simultaneously showed profound influence of the British capitalist system (Mukherjee
1977: 87-9). It gained immense prominence as the British Raj gained greater foothold
on the Indian soil and greater developmental activities were carried out to make it the
London of the East. The middle decades of the 19th century observed a greater
systematization and institutionalization of policing in Kolkata. Policemen openly
carried swords during this time and were prohibited from carrying anything other than
batons (Chattopadhyayay 1982:68). The recommendations of the Patton Committee
resulted in the formulation of the Act XIII of 1856 which for the first time recognized
the Calcutta Police as a separate organization under the government and S.Wauchope,
the then Chief Magistrate of Kolkata, was appointed the first Commissioner of police.
He handled the police during the Sepoy Mutiny, the First War of National
Independence (1857). Every police officer, European or Indian, carried a regulatory
staff and chowkidars carried light truncheons, thirty-three inches in length, which
came handy during mob outbreaks and upsurges (Ibid.:76). "The sepoy rebellion of
1857 did not touch Kolkata nearly, but the city shared, nevertheless, in all feelings of
alarm and suspense which were the common lot of Englishmen in India during that
terrible year. There were ominous threatenings of trouble in the winter of 1856 at
Barrackpore sixteen miles from Calcutta, which was the headquarters of the
Presidency Division of the Bengal army, and included four regiments of native
infantry among its garrison" (Cotton 1909:156). As a result, the mutiny took the
police organization off the rails. Even in Calcutta, Lord Canning (1856-1862) had to
agree to the replacement of his native guards with European soldiers. The government
machinery was dislocated during 1857 and part of 1858 (Biswas 1992:259).
Era of Criminal Legislation
During the tenure of V.H.Scalch, the Calcutta Police Act and the Calcutta
Suburban Police Act were enacted in 1866. The Calcutta Police Act vested the
administration of the police to the commissioner independent of the Inspector General
of Police of the state. The Calcutta Suburban Police Act also entrusted the
Commissioner of Police with the control of the suburbs (Chatterjee 1973:13). In
November 1868, Sir Stuart Hogg, the Commissioner of Police and the Chairman of
Calcutta Municipal Corporation, first set up the Detective Department in Kolkata
Police. A.Younan was appointed the Head of the Department, which during M.B.
83
Eliss's superintendentship, came to be known as Criminal Investigation Department
(Ibid: 47). In 1890, Lord Lansdowne’s government established the provincial training
school at Barrackpore, which dealt with arming the police and training them in the use
of firearms. In the same year the Port Police Force was made subjected to the
provisions of the Calcutta Police Act of 1866 (See
www.kolkatapolice.org/servingkolkata/html,visited on 12.12.07)
According to Misra, the subjugation of the people was the first priority of the
police and this was evident in the Indian Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code
enacted in 1860-1861 (Das & Verma 2003: 138). The Indian Police Act which was
put into force in the year 1861 talked about police reorganization in India which
differed from the policing systems which were being established in other colonies like
Australia and Canada. It was primarily a mechanism to subjugate the people, and the
traditional cooperation of the community was lost sight of the concerns for law and
order. The imperative need was to develop a sense of fear of authority in the entire
population, and it was achieved through this system of ruler's police. The police were
to be shaped as an instrument of the Raj, one where men were disciplined, armed and
without hesitation would follow British officer's orders. It was this police that would
baton charge Gandhi's peaceful followers or shoot to death young people raising
Indian flags (Ibid.: 138). Thus the police in the second half of the 19th century was
mainly a weapon of the colonial rulers to oppress the common people and to crush
rising feeling of nationalism in the minds of the people.
Calcutta Police in Combating Nationalist Movement
The anti partition movement gave fillip to the freedom struggle. To cope
with this certain measures were taken by the Government. Classes on unarmed
combat were started on August 1908, where constables were chosen for the course.
The revolver shooting was stressed. Secondly a surveillance scheme was prepared. In
1920 a special cell called the Goonda Department was created (Biswas 1992:265).
This showed that the Kolkata Police underwent rapid upgradation from the second
half of the 19th century mainly to combat and counterfeit the rising nationalist
movement. Sir Fredrick Halliday who was appointed the commissioner of police in
1906 is regarded as the father of Calcutta Police. He had a sense of history and
tackled the problems of the swadeshi movement. He had to face terrorist
organizations like Anushilan Samity and revolutionaries like Aurobindo Ghosh,
Bagha Jatin, M.N.Roy and the like. In January 1908, Bandemataram was proscribed
84
(Ibid.: 261-62). He initiated several changes in the administration of Calcutta Police
including the system of running a Control Room and creating a Special Branch in
1909 to access prompt information about the revolutionaries. Traffic motorcycle
patrolling was prevalent during this period. Calcutta Police was divided into 3 town
divisions and 2 suburban divisions during his tenure. It was as a result of his
prolonged effort that the Training School of the Kolkata Police was established on
October 1st, 1914 in the Dullanda Building (at present opposite the Race Course). Sir
Charles Augustus Tegart, on whose report the special Branch of Kolkata Police was
created, is another official whose name deserves mention. Both Detective Department
and the Special branch were under Tegart who in 1923 was the first Indian Police
officer to become the Commissioner of Police. He was notorious for his highhanded
methods to suppress the freedom struggle. He reorganized the city police force and
made it efficient (Roy 1994:16).

3.4. THE KOLKATA POLICE SINCE INDEPENDENCE

The Kolkata Police establishment was housed at different buildings from
time to time since 1720 in the Lalbazaar area. It was only in November 1918 that the
new police office was completed. It being the headquarter, comprises the office of the
Commissioner of Police, Additional Commissioner of Police, Joint Commissioners of
Police, Deputy Commissioners of Police, Detective Department and the residences of
the Deputy Commissioners of Headquarter and Detective Department of the Kolkata
Police (Ibid.: 6). The Calcutta Police Directorate and the West Bengal Police
Directorate operate under the State Home Department. To avoid squabbles between
the Police Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police (which took place as
their status was undefined), an amalgamation was administered in 1952 by the West
Bengal Police Act. Transfer is possible between the West Bengal Police and the
Kolkata Police. Joint training of both the forces was introduced in 1955 and the pay
scale of the subordinate ranks of both the forces have been made the same (Chatterjee
1973:45).
Superintendence over the police force in the state is exercised by the State
Government. The head of the police force in the state is the Director General of Police
who is responsible to the state government for the administration of the police force in
the state and for advising the government on police matters. States are subdivided into

85
districts where the district police force is headed by a Superintendent of Police. Every
district is divided into sub-divisions under the charge of a Deputy Superintendent of
Police (DSP). Every subdivision is further divided into a number of police stations.
Under the Criminal Procedure Code all crime be reported at the police station and all
preventive, investigative and, law and order work is done from there. A police station
is divided into a number of beats, which are assigned to constables for patrolling,
surveillance, collection of intelligence etc. The officer in charge of a police station is
called an Inspector of Police, particularly in cities and metropolitan areas. During the
British rule dual control at the local level was introduced – one under the head of the
police force in the district and the other under the chief executive of the district ie. the
district magistrate. The commissionerate system of policing was introduced in certain
metropolitan areas like Calcutta (Kolkata), Bombay (Mumbai), Madras (Chennai) and
Hyderabad. Under this system the responsibility for policing the city area is vested in
the Commissioner of Police (Police Organization in India, 2008; New Delhi; CHRI:
9-22)
Table 3.1. shows a comparison of police organization of West Bengal to some other
states of India. The states have been selected on the basis of their geographical
location ie. Delhi in the north, Gujarat in the west, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh
in South, and Bihar in the east. It reveals that West Bengal is lagging behind with
regard to infrastructure, manpower, training, monetary grant form all these states.
Since West Bengal is a densely populated state the scenario portrayed hereof is not a
satisfactory one.
Table 3.1. The Police Organization of West Bengal in comparison to some
other states

Category West Andhra Bihar Maharashtra Gujarat Delhi

Bengal Pradesh
Population per 1243 921 1790 699 770 212
policeman
Area in sq.km per 1.26 3.10 1.81 2.02 2.69 0.02
policeman
Transport facility 5.49 15.22 8.47 7.20 7.36 4.94
per 100 policeman
No. of urban 130 480 136 395 72 132
police stations

86
Category West Andhra Bihar Maharashtra Gujarat Delhi
Bengal Pradesh
No. of rural police 249 1116 675 560 383 0
stations
Armed battalions 17 15 16 15 15 15
Women police 0 27 0 0 7 0
stations
Total police 70,370 88,807 52,075 1,51,999 72,838 79,490
strength (as on
1.1.2007)
Women Police 1177 1719 882 9105 2474 3220
In-service training 685 2049 NR 676 790 1467
to constables in
2007
In-service training 75 7 NR 55 22 16
to IPS officers
Amount (in 4.10 82.89 NR 16.42 20.87 8.94
crores) received
as modernization
grant from central
government
Mobile forensic 2 36 NR 9 32 0
science vans
No.ofcomputers 911 2859 NR 1624 2904 1383
available
Motor transport 3861 13518 4409 10950 5359 3928
Sniffer/Tracker 28 106 23 149 69 46
Dog
Source: Data on Police Organization in India, BPR&D:2008) NR: Data not received

The total police expenditure for West Bengal has increased from the year 2002
– 2003 to 2003 – 2004 by 2.49 crores. For Maharashtra it has increased by 264.27
crores, Delhi 174.79 crores, Tamil Nadu 57.89 crores. The expenditure for police
training has increased by 0.22 crores for West Bengal, 0.56 crores for Maharashtra,
2.82 crores for Andhra Pradesh and 0.71 crores for Rajasthan. In the year 2002 -
2003, West Bengal police force received a grant of 67.8 crores from Central
Government and 11.48 crores from the State for modernization. However the total
amount utilized for modernization is 9.62 crores. On the other hand states like
Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Jammu & Kashmir, and Tamil Nadu utilized the full amount

87
it received for modernization. ( BPR&D, 2005:38). In the year 2003-04 West Bengal
received a grant of Rs 29.15 crores for modernization of the police force from the
Central government however it received no such aid from the state machinery
(BPR&D, 2006:40).

Table 3.2. Number of Personal Computers:

Name of states As on1.1.04 As on 1.1.05

West Bengal 611 611

Tamil Nadu 2610 3891
Madhya 1136 1136
Pradesh
Andhra 633 715
Pradesh
Gujarat 891 1356
Delhi 680 1027
Maharashtra 571 747
Karnataka 1420 2390
Source: (BPR&D, June 2006:70)

Table 3.2. shows that the number of personal computers used by the police of
West Bengal did not show any increase in the year 2005. West Bengal stands among
only a few states like Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Lakshwadeep,
Chhatisgarh, Goa, and Arunachal Pradesh which did not incorporate an addition of
personal computers in the year 2005 to what it had in 2004. This makes it quite
evident that West Bengal lacks far behind most of the other states in so far as
technological modernization of the police force is concerned.
Guidelines to the Kolkata Police
The Police act of 1861 laid down the following duties for the police officer:
i) Obey and execute all orders and warrants lawfully issued by any
competent authority.
ii) Collect and communicate intelligence affecting the public peace.
iii) Prevent Commission of offences and public nuisance.

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 iv) Detect and bring offenders to justice.
v) Apprehend all persons whom he is legally authorized to apprehend and
for whose apprehension sufficient ground exists.
The charter prescribed by the Model Police Act of 2006, goes far beyond the 1861
charter, taking into account not only the changes which have occurred within the
organization during this period, but also those in the socio-political environment in
which the organization functions. The Model Police Act 2006 prescribes the
following duties to the police officer:
a) To uphold and enforce the law impartially, and to protect life, liberty,
property, human rights, and dignity of the members of the public;
b) To promote and preserve public order;
c) To protect internal security, to prevent and control terrorist activities,
breaches of communal harmony, militant activities and other situations
affecting internal security;
d) To protect public properties including roads, railways, bridges, vital
installations and establishments etc. against acts of vandalism, violence or
any kind of attack;
e) To prevent crimes, and to reduce the opportunities for the commission of
crimes through their own preventive action and measures as well as by
aiding and cooperating with other relevant agencies in implementing due
measures for prevention of crimes;
f) to accurately register all complaints brought to them by a complainant or
his representative, in person or received by post, email or other means, and
take prompt follow up action thereon, after duly acknowledging the receipt
of the complainant;
g) to register and investigate all cognizable offences coming to their notice
through such complaints or otherwise, duly supplying a copy of the First
Information Report to the complaint, and where appropriate, to apprehend
offenders, and extend requisite assistance in the prosecution of offenders;
h) to create and maintain a feeling of security in the community and as far as
possible prevent conflicts and promote amity;
i) to provide, as far responders, all possible help to people in situations
arising out of natural or man-made disasters, and to provide active
assistance to other agencies in relief and rehabilitation measures;
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 j) to aid individual, who are in danger of physical harm to their person or
property, and to provide necessary help and afford relief to people in
distress situation;
k) to facilitate orderly movement of people and vehicles, and to control and
regulate traffic on roads and highways;
l) to collect intelligence relating to matters affecting public peace, and all
kinds of crimes including social offences, communalism, extremism,
terrorism and other matters relating to national security, and disseminate
the same to all concerned agencies, besides acting, as appropriate on it
themselves and
m) to take charge, as a police officer on duty, of all unclaimed property and
take action for their safe custody and disposal in accordance with the
procedure prescribed.
Social responsibilities of the Police are follows:
Every police officer shall:
a) behave with the members of the public with due courtesy and decorum,
particularly so on dealing with senior citizens, women and children;
b) guide and assist members of the public, particularly senior citizens, women
and children, the poor and indigent and the physically or mentally
challenged individuals, who are found in helpless condition on the streets
or other public places or otherwise need help and protection;
c) provide all requisite assistance to victims of crime and of road accidents,
and in particular ensure that they are given prompt medical aid,
irrespective of medico-legal formalities, and facilitate their other
compensation and other legal claims;
d) ensure that in all situations, especially during conflict between
communities, classes, castes and political groups, the conduct of the police
is always governed by the principles of impartiality and human rights
norms, with special attention of protection of weaker sections including
minorities;
e) prevent harassment of women and children in public places and public
transport, including stalking, making objectionable gestures, signs,
remarks or harassment caused in any way;

90
 f) render all requisite assistance to the members of the public, particularly
women, children and the poor and indigent persons, against criminal
exploitation by any persons against criminal exploitation by any person or
organised group; and
g) arrange for legally permissible sustenance and shelter to every person in
custody and making known to all such persons provisions of legal aid
schemes available from the Government and also inform the authorities
concerned in this regard (Model Police Act,2006 Chapter VI, Sections
57,58).
The recommendations of the National Police Commission regarding the code of
conduct for the Inspectors General of Police which is accepted by the Government of
India and circulated to all state governments is as follows:
1. the police must bear faithful allegiance to the Constitution of India and respect
and uphold the rights of the citizens as guaranteed by it;
2. the police should not question the propriety of necessity of any law duly
enacted. They should enforce the law firmly and impartially without fear,or
favour, malice or vindictiveness;
3. the police should recognize and respect the limitation of their powers and
functions. They should not usurp or even seem to usurp the functions of the
judiciary and sit in judgement on cases to avenge individuals and punish the
guilty;
4. in securing the observance of law or in maintaining order, the police should as
far as practicable , use the methods of persuasion, advice and warning. When
the application of force becomes inevitable only the irreducible minimum of
force required in the circumstances should be used;
5. the prime duty of the police is to prevent crime and disorder and the police
must recognize that the test of their efficiency is the absence of both and not
the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them;
6. the police must recognize that they are members of the public, with the only
difference that in the interest of the society and on its behalf they are
employed to give full time attention to duties which are normally incumbent
on every citizen to perform;
7. the police should realize that the efficient performance of their duties will be
dependent on the extent of ready cooperation that they receive from the public.
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 This, in turn, will depend on their ability to secure public approval of their
conduct and actions and to earn and retain public respect and confidence;
8. the police should always keep the welfare of people in mind and be
sympathetic and considerate towards them. They should always be ready to
offer individual service and friendship and render necessary assistance to all
without regard to their wealth and/or social standing;
9. the police should always place duty before self, should maintain calm in the
face of danger, scorn or ridicule and should be ready to sacrifice their lives in
protecting those of others;
10. the police should always be courteous and well mannered; they should be
dependable and impartial; they should possess dignity and courage; and should
cultivate character and the trust of the people;
11. integrity of the highest order is the basis of the prestige of the police.
Recognising this, the police must keep their private lives scrupulously clean,
develop self-restraint and be truthful and honest in thought and deed, in both
personal and official life, so that the public may regard them as exemplary
citizens;
12. the police should recognize that their full utility to the State is best ensured
only by maintaining a high standard of discipline, faithful performance of
duties in accordance with law and implicit obedience to the lawful directions
of commanding ranks and absolute loyalty to the force and by keeping
themselves in the state of constant training;
13. as members of a secular, democratic state the police should strive continually
to rise above personal prejudices and promote harmony and the spirit of
common brotherhood among all the people of India transcending religious,
linguistic and regional or sectional diversities and to renounce practices
derogatory to the dignity of women and disadvantaged sections of the society.
(Police Organization in India, CHRI,2008:26-28)

Kolkata Police in recent times

The Kolkata Police has set for itself a mission that it seeks to achieve. The
aims of the Kolkata Police as shown in its website are as follows: First, obedience to
the Constitution of India; second, respect for the dignity of all those they protect;
third, compassion; fourth, fairness and sixth uncompromising personal and
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 URL34
institutional integrity. The day-to-day policing of Kolkata is the responsibility
of 48 local police stations, each under the supervision of one of the 5 units into which
Kolkata is divided. The Kolkata Police has strength of about 26000 personnel and
covers a territorial jurisdiction of about 89.55 sq.km. and 34.55 sq.km.water. In
addition there are specialized units like the Detective Department, Head Quarter
Force, Special Branch, Enforcement Branch, Traffic Police, Reserve Force, Wireless
Branch, Security Control, Armed Police, North and South Suburban Division, South
and South Suburban Division, East and East Suburban Division, Central Division and
Port Division which support the local police stations in their endeavors to fight crime
(See www.kolkatapolice.org/Departments.asp visited on 20.6.10). It operates through
48 Police Stations which are under five divisions namely: 1. North and north
Suburban Division:Shyampukur, Jorabagan, Port, Burtolla, Amherst Street,
Cossipore, Chitpore, Tala, Sinthi; 2. Central Division: Burrabazaar, Posta, Jorasanko,
Hare Street, Boubazaar, Girish Park, Muchipara, Taltalla, New Market; 3. Eastern
Suburban Division: Manicktalla, Ultadanga, Beliaghata, Phoolbagan, Narkeldanga,
Entally, Tangra, Beniapukur, Topsia; 4. South and South Suburban Division:Park
Street, Shakespeare Sarani, Hastings, Maidan, Ballygunje,Gariahat, Bhowanipur,
Kalighat, Tollygunje, Lake, Charu Market, Alipore, New Alipore, Karaya, Chetla; 5.
Port Division: North South Port, West Port, Garden reach, Watgunje, Taratolla,
URL35
Ekbalpur.
Unlike Kolkata, cities like Hyderabad has 80, Bangalore 88, Chennai 89, and
Mumbai 83 police stations. The total strength of the Civil Police in Kolkata is 15987,
Chennai 8834, Hyderabad 9003, Bangalore 44579, and Mumbai 38340. The strength
of the armed police in Kolkata is 7132, Bangalore14359, Hyderabad 2281. The ratio
of officers to constables( DG to ASI: Head constable and constable) that is teeth to
tail ratio in Kolkata is 1:4, while for Bangalore it is 1:8, Chennai 1:9, Hyderabad 1:7,
Mumbai 1:4 and in Vishakhapatnam it is 1:10. 41. (Ibid.: 35-37) Again the sanctioned
strength of Civil police for Kolkata is 15829 personnel, which for Bangalore is 44579
and for Mumbai is 38340. (BPR&D, 2006:35).
The administration of the Kolkata police is carried out through the
following personnel: 1 Commissioner; 4 Additional Commissioners; 3 Joint
Commissioners; 19 Deputy Commissioners; 65 Assisstant Commissioners; 391
Inspectors; 2518 Sub Inspectors; 2633 Assistant Sub Inspectors; 13 Head

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Constables; and 13659 Constables (BPR&D 2008:69). The Mounted Police of the
Kolkata Police was formed in 1803 and in its earliest form it had only two horses. The
Calcutta Mounted Police can proudly claim to be the most ancient in the world. Now
it has a sanctioned number of 98 horses. It was set up to carry messages but now it
performs a diverse array of functions ranging from controlling sporting crowd,
maintaining order in the Kolkata Maidan and giving proud performances in parades.
Recently the government has allotted an area of 75000 sq.ft in the Maidan for the
training of these horses. Moreover the Kolkata Police also has a dog squad, which was
set up in the year 1971. The government has sanctioned Rs.1, 80,000 for improved
training and food of the dogs in the squad in the year 2003. There are 16 dogs in the
squad (Sengupta 2006: 69-71).
Posts like Head Constables and Naiks cease to exist and were straight
promoted to the Assistant sub Inspector’s rank. Only Naiks will have to clear a test
before getting promoted. Again the ASIs posted in outposts can register FIRs and start
preliminary investigations.4 There is also a Women Police Force, headed by an
Assistant Commissioner of Police. The main functions of this section are to assist the
arrest of women accused and executing search warrants for rescue of kidnapped and
abducted women and children; to assist in the enforcement of the Immoral Traffic
(Prevention) Act; to escort women and juvenile offenders; to guard female prisoners
in hospitals and police lock-ups; to investigate cases relating to crime against women;
to assist control of demonstration in which women participate and other law & order
duties. All the police stations in Kolkata Police has been provided with women police
URL36
personnel.
The Kolkata Police and Community Policing:
Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in his tenure as the Home Minister of West
Bengal introduced the concept of community policing in Kolkata Police. He wanted
to improve the public image of the police to curb crime and maintain law and order.
Though all the police stations were asked to form a coordination committee
comprising of senior and respectable citizens of the area over the last couple of years
the local police stations have failed to call a meeting of the committee.5 The Kolkata
police have initiated quite a few programmes like Anti Drugs Day, Friendship Cup,
Inter School Football, Nabadisha (for street children), Prabaha (blood donation camp),
Bravery and Honesty Awards, Counseling Centres, Claude Martin Fund (for the

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release and relief of prisoners) and Poor Box, Traffic Awareness Programmes,
Helplines for the elderly, medical helplines etc. to uphold the values of Community
URL37
Policing. The police officers in the city of Kolkata are providing help when a)
people lose their way, b) medical assistance sought by people in their helplines, c)
senior citizen's helpline, d) relaying or transferring messages to the right department.6
The Kolkata police also keeps a check on the public activities during festivities like
Durga Puja, English New Year, Holi, Diwali and Christmas with complete élan.7The
Kolkata Police have selected five young men for a visit to the prestigious football
clubs in England after their participation in the Kolkata Police Friendship cup. They
have also been provided with warm clothes for their trip to England.8 Community
policing by people friendly officers, the new trend set by Kolkata Police, is found at
its best at the Amherst Police Station where locals can find the best gymnasiums of
the city located on its premises. It is also the best-maintained police station in the
city.9
The Kolkata Police and ICTs
The Kolkata Police has made a smooth transition from a low technology police
force to a high tech one. In recent years New Technologies have been introduced as
an aid to police work in Kolkata.The West Bengal State Wide Area Network
(WBSWAN), inaugurated on 17th August 2001, has been envisaged as the
Information Highway as the backbone through which e-governance activities of the
URL38
government will be undertaken. G.D.Gautama, Principal Secretary of the
Department of Information Technology, Government of West Bengal, stated that “the
West Bengal Police is using IT as an effective tool for administration. More than 400
URL39
police stations are connected across the state.” The Kolkata Traffic Police is
distributed in eleven Traffic Guards. Each guard is headed by two Inspectors who
regulate traffic with the help of Sergeants, JCOs, Head Constables, Constables and
Home Guards. The Traffic Guards are in direct liaison with the Traffic Control
Rooms. The Traffic Computer Cell digitizes all traffic related data for analysis and
action. All pending cases need to be checked by the computer cell before releasing a
traffic case. It also gives information regarding all transport vehicles outside Kolkata.
The Software Traffic Information and Infrastructure System maintain records of
jurisdiction of traffic guards, traffic beats, traffic restriction, prosecution, collection of
revenue, road condition, position of manhole and actions taken against encroachment

95
by hawkers. Eleven close circuit televisions (CCTV) have been installed at major
crossroads controlled by automatic / Manual Signalling Systems. Count Down Timers
with signals have been installed at various crossing for better control and road
management. Solar studs are used as road dividers to prevent accidents and collision
of vehicles (Annual Review 2004: 35-45).
The city police has undertaken comprehensive traffic management project through
sophisticated gadgets to ensure easy flow of traffic and nab offenders who violate
traffic rules. The project would be undertaken in two phases. The state has allotted 2.5
crores for the first phase and a sum of 5 crores would be raised from corporate houses
for the second phase.10 On 18.10.2007, after taking over as Police Commissioner, Mr.
Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti promised to improve Kolkata’s traffic system.
Accordingly the traffic signal network will be monitored on the basis of a
computerized calculation of vehicles passing through the intersection. Cameras and
road censors will be installed at forty two selected crossings. Moreover there will be a
CCTV based detection system for those who flout traffic rules. The registration
number of vehicles will be recorded and flashed. A GIS based vehicle navigation,
distress management system and area traffic management system are in the anvil to be
introduced since January 2008. Mr. K Harirajan, Additional Commissioner of Police
III remarked that coordination will improve with the introduction of signal monitoring
based on real time data from the sensors.11 Hidden cameras would be positioned and
vigil would be intensified at intersections like Sinthee, Shyambazaar 5 point crossing,
Park Circus 7 point crossing, AJC Bose Road and D L. Khan crossing and Rashbehari
Avenue crossing. The drive when carried out on an experimental basis found that the
number of people who flout traffic rules at night was amazingly high.12. The Kolkata
police has also introduced simputers which have a multiple applications ranging from
data collection to micro banking and even printing. Their use will in likelihood
revolutionize traffic management. According to Manoj Verma, DC Traffic, “this will
revolutionize the time taken to manually record offences by 50% and issue receipts
against seizure of licences. Besides, this system will track down official offenders.” 13
The Traffic Police at Kolkata has introduced a system of SMS service, developed by
Kolkata based SMS Infosy’s. This system allows users to send in their SMS at the
police head-quarter based servers. The Kolkata police has launched an SMS service
with the help of which harassed citizens can lodge complaints about errant taxi
drivers. In addition the citizens can also avail information about traffic congestion at
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important roads if they SMS: TRF to 75756. The city police also hopes to receive
other complaints through SMS in the future if this service proves to be a success. The
traffic Police is also trying to introduce solar power traffic signals and display boards
to check emission of greenhouse gases.14
The Kolkata Police has a Wireless Branch headed by a Deputy Commissioner of
Police and is actively trying to keep a check on the activities of the local police
stations as well as law and order violation in the area through the Radio Flying Squad
(RFS). The number of RFS vans has been increased to 40 in the year 2005-2006. The
Wireless Department does mention that, “its primary function is to ensure rapid
transmission of information on all matters in the city and its suburbs to headquarters
for immediate actions. A fleet of Radio Flying Squad Vehicles patrol the streets of
URL40
Kolkata round the clock for this purpose.” The Kolkata Police official website
also provides email id of all police officials from Police Commissioner to the local
police stations to receive feedback from the people. Crimes can also be reported
through the Internet as long as urgent response is not required. For immediate
URL41
response phone calls can be made to the Control Room.
Due to threats of terrorist attacks, the Kolkata Police plan to ban mobile phones at
the Lalbazaar police headquarters and create a separate entry for visitors to ensure
15
fool proof security. Kolkata Police also plans to install 'face recognition system'
(FRS) as part of its long-term preparedness against organized and terrorist
activities.Top Kolkata Police officials feel that the system would not only prevent
crime, but will also help in detecting complicated cases. The face recognition system
captures faces of individuals at random from different angles. What follows is
biometrics: digital analysis using cameras or scanners of biological characteristics
such as facial structure, fingerprints and iris patterns to match profiles in databases of
people.16 The Central Detective Training School has decided to impart scientific
training to police officers of 11 states including those of West Bengal and Delhi. As
an alternative of third degree torture in police custody police officials will be given
special scientific training to extract required information from the arrested persons by
use of brain mapping and narco analysis test which are the part of 'Advanced Course
of Scientific Information’ designed by the teachers of the school. The process of
conducting interrogation in police custody will also change. Seven officers from
Kolkata Police and nine from West Bengal Police have been selected for receiving

97
training from experts from the school. Sleuths will also be imparted explosive related
training. A special course will also developed on terrorist crime and post blast
investigation for the first time in West Bengal. Special lessons would be imparted on
economic crime and human rights.17
The Kolkata Police and Crime Structure in Kolkata
In the last two years the highest incidence of crime is in the Karaya Police
Station area where the Chief Minister lives. Karaya P.S recorded 16 and 11 cases of
burglary in 2004 and 2005 respectively.18 A study by the All India Institute of
Hygiene and Public Health suggests that incidence of domestic violence has risen
almost 20% over the last five years in the city. Contrary to the belief that domestic
violence is limited to the lower classes, the phenomenon has struck firm roots among
the city's affluent sections.19 Again incidences of sex related crimes committed by
male minors have increased sharply over the last year and 80% of under trial male
minors, recently brought for trial to the Juvenile Justice Board in Salt Lake are
convicted with rape or attempt to rape. A large number of cases are reported to the
board where the victim and the offender are both minors.20 Kidnapping and
abductions have alarmingly risen in the past five years in Kolkata suburbs and
beyond. The State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) records show that 1133 abduction
and kidnapping cases were registered across 18 districts of the state barring Kolkata in
the year 2005 which shows a rise by 52 since 2004.21 The state recorded 1673 cases
of rape in 2006 which is the second highest in the country after Madhya Pradesh.22 A
recent survey (2006) of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS III) found that
among the metros Kolkata stands second to Chennai as a city of wife beaters with
26.7% of women in the city being subjected to physical and sexual torture by their
husbands. 40.3%of women in the state of west Bengal are subjected to domestic
23
abuse. A survey (2006) sponsored by the state social welfare department and
UNICEF revealed that crime against women in the state of West Bengal has
witnessed a record 69% increase in the past years while the country saw only 10%
increase.24 Apart from that the Annual report of National Crime Records Bureau
(NCRB), Crime in India 2006 mentioned that there has been an increase of 15.6% in
the number of reported crime in the state of West Bengal numbering from 1164 in the
year 2005 to 1346 in the year 2006.25
However the steps taken by the Kolkata Police in recent years for the preservation
of the natural environment deserves mention. The Kolkata Police is taking steps to
98
check fuel emission from automobiles to reduce greenhouse effect. It has also
prohibited the use of plastic bags in public places to prevent soil pollution. It has
provided a helping hand to the West Bengal Pollution control Board in all its
endeavors. It enforces the rules and regulations of the WBPCB regarding animal
slaughter and the noise levels of loudspeakers and firecrackers.26 “The Handbook of
Social and environmental Laws for Police Officer” published by the Kolkata police
in 1998 brings to light the plans and programmes of the Kolkata Police for creating
sustainable communities. City cops are also being given training to deal offences
which fall under violation of Wildlife Protection Act. Since skins and ivory from the
Sunderbans and Jaldapara are smuggled through the city, the officers are always in
communication with the chief wildlife warden, state forest departments and NGOs.27
An increase in the number of pirate attacks on the rivers of South 24 Parganas has
prompted police to set up a dedicated task force to tackle the problem.28
What is no less important is that the Kolkata Police maintains a specific web
page on Computer and Internet Related Crime, which contains a variety of
information about dos and donts and tips on cyber crime for the general public and
those affected There is also a Computer and Cyber Crime Cell to handle cases arising
out of the abuse of cyberspace.29 The officers of the city's cyber crime cell think
international collaboration would help crack internet based crimes. They have
complained that their efforts to solve cyber crimes are being thwarted by lack of
response from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) outside India. Kolkata's cyber cops,
all new in handling criminals in the virtual world, complain that inter country treaties
or collaboration are required so that domain providers outside India can be formally
approached to trace experienced cyber criminals.30 The cyber crime cell of the
Kolkata police is not computerized and is run by two officers. Nasscom has come
forward to offer its expertise to effectively police cyber crimes and other white collar
offences involving the IT sector. Mr. Gyanwant Singh, DC(DD), said if not in
collaboration with Nasscom, Kolkata police would set up a laboratory with state
government funding.31 Cops of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will
also be trained policing cyber crimes and other white collar crimes involving the IT
sector. The training will involve installation of a cyber crime laboratory to train the
CID's cyber cops. A cyber cell has already been set up in CID, which is awaiting the
posting of officers for its operation to begin.32

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The Challenges before the Kolkata Police
The recent upsurge in the rate crimes ranging from the traditional to the
modern electronic crimes has thrown a challenge to the police in India. To check the
increase in pollution level is another arduous task of the police, which it does in
cooperation with the pollution control board. Sophisticated white-collar crimes like
misuse of credit cards is another serious offence to cater to. Disaster management is
another responsibility of the police. The police is needed to be given scientific
training to help the people in needs of crisis during natural catastrophes like floods,
earth quakes and cyclones. The Kolkata Police is still lagging behind in respect to its
infrastructure. As said before, the Kolkata Police is proudly celebrating 150 years of
its service to the city of Kolkata as a separate Commissionerate. On the occasion the
Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mr.Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had urged the Kolkata
police to give the city a modern traffic management system, complete with proper
signal systems at the end of the year long celebrations. He said that the police should
prepare themselves to combat terrorism. He advised the Kolkata Police to be
corruption free, imbibe professionalism and shun nexus with criminals.33 The
Commissioner of Kolkata Police on the eve of the beginning of 150 years celebrations
said that “the time has come to shift gears and we hope to become a competent force
in the near future. We should be a technically savvy and transparent force, with a
friendly force. My message to my officers is "do your work well and do it well."34 The
Kolkata Police has informed the court that it lacks the infrastructure for checking
inflammable articles.35. The smart card which was meant to plug revenue leakage
suffered by the city traffic police remains largely unused due to the absence of
simputers. Nothing can be done to stop the offender. The cards are read digitally
followed by encrypted punching.36 The large part of the traffic police's revenue is
made up from fine collection. However traffic police officers pocket fines without
issuing receipts and turn a blind eye to certain road traffic offences.37 The Kolkata
Police is still not using the Geographic Information System (GIS) while cities like
Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Goa, Trivandrum, Chennai and Delhi police forces
use customized GIS. (Jaishankar & Chockalingam 2001: 65) The Kolkata Police
should also take initiatives like the Sahayata to help family members tide over their
differences as an effort to improve police public relations (Pawar 2001:74-75). Unlike
Mumbai Police the Kolkata Police has not come forward to implement the Right to
Information (RTI) Act, 2005 till date. Former Commissioner of Police, Mr.Prasun
100
Mukherjee said in a department involving law and order that it was difficult to share
at least 70% of the information. He said that 'the basic structure of the police force is
something I can share. But I can't share strategy or some other vital information,
which is required for investigations'. 38
Again some of the buildings which house the local thanas are in deplorable
conditions. The rooms at the back of the Park Street P.S which incidentally is
responsible for maintaining law and order in one of the most upscale parts of the city
has been declared dangerous by the state Public Works Department. Similarly certain
parts of the second floor which was carved out of the Burrabazaar P.S in 1999 shows
water seeping in, during monsoons. At Jorabagan P.S, snakes and insects crawl out of
the dilapidated palace. The Commissioner admitted this crisis and remarked that
renovation or shifting is problematic as there is a fund crunch at present.39The Bengal
Amateur Radio Society which works with the city police to trace missing persons
during festivals may not do so any more as sleuths are indifferent to it. Before the
'Pujas' they are spoken to but after the festivals are over they are not offered any
help.40

3.5. CONCLUDING REMARKS

This chapter has attempted to trace the history of Kolkata Police from its origin to
the present years. There is no denying the fact that this is an ardent attempt to try to
gauge the rich and eventful history of Kolkata police. The Kolkata Police has to take
up the challenge of making the city a better abode for its dwellers. The Chief Minister
Mr.Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on the occasion of the open session of the Kolkata
police Association’s 17th Annual General Meeting at Lalbazaar admitted that “eve
teasing and other crime against women are on the rise in Kolkata and this is a cause of
concern.”41 Fortunately, the recent developments undertaken by the Kolkata Police
set it a mission to establish itself as an efficient police force. As part of the
modernization programme Kuldeip Singh, Joint Commissioner of Police
(Administration) said that 27 police stations from all divisions of the force will be
provided with five computers, a printer, a scanner and a photocopier each. Complaints
will be registered electronically and printouts would be handed to complainants for
which four to five officers from each of the thanas would be imparted basic training to
handle computers. The authorities are keen to improve the online link between the

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headquarters and the police stations for easy flow of orders and quick mobilization of
forces.42 The rising crime graph in South Kolkata has prompted to split the south
division into two segments. Four new police stations will set up taking the number to
52. The south east division will have six police stations and a new south east division
will supervise New Alipore, Chetla, Charu Market and a portion of Lake police
station. Again the Kolkata Police is planning to split Maniktala and Amherst Street
police stations.43 The foundation stone of a police training School has been laid to set
up a high tech training centre within a year. This will help the The Kolkata police to
modernize its crime development centre to international standards.44 Moreover the
city police brass has started a stress management course for the cops. More than 600
policemen are trained by expert in the ways of reduce stress. They are made to
practice yoga and pranayam and physical exercise everyday under the guidance of
expert psychologists and physical instructors at the city police’s body guard line in
Alipore.45 The Kolkata Police has set up two Anti – insurgency squads to combat
militancy and to deal with the consequences of terror strike. The members of the
squads have been trained in handling of sophisticated modern weapons and with the
technique to conduct rescue operations during terror strike or natural disasters.46
However in comparison to cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, New Delhi
and Bangalore it is meagre. Yet, it would not be wide of the mark to state that the
Kolkata Police is trying its best to get modernized. Nevertheless the technological and
ideological modernization can only be successful if it fulfills the aim for which it
has been brought into action. Therefore it needs to be mentioned that the development
and up gradation of the Kolkata Police can and should try to seek the mission it aims
to uphold. Police technologies and policies can only prove effective if they bring
about efficiency and speed in the functioning of the police force. In this chapter I have
sought to trace the history of Kolkata Police, its development over the years and its
activities pertaining to community policing, crime, and new technologies. We have
thus discussed the challenges that the Kolkata police is facing in recent times.
However in the analysis, empirical dimension will show how far this modernization
has made the Kolkata Police more people friendly and proactive.

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Endnotes
1. Information Technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology
Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development,
implementation, support or management of computer-based information
systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." The term
information technology is sometimes said to have been coined by Jim Domsic
of Michigan in November 1981. The Oxford English Dictionary, however, in
defining information technology as "the branch of technology concerned with
the dissemination, processing, and storage of information, esp. by means of
computers"
2. e-Governmence (short for electronic governance, also known as e-gov, digital
government, online government or transformational government) is a diffused
neologism used to refer to the use of information and communication
technology to provide and improve government services, transactions and
interactions with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. The
primary delivery models of e-Government can be divided into:Government-to-
Citizen or Government-to-Customer (G2C) ,Government-to-Business (G2B)
Government-to-Government (G2G) and Government-to-Employees (G2E)
Within each of these interaction domains, four kinds of activities take place :
1. pushing information over the Internet, e.g: regulatory services, general
holidays, public hearing schedules, issue briefs, notifications, etc. 2. two-way
communications between the agency and the citizen, a business, or another
government agency. In this model, users can engage in dialogue with agencies
and post problems, comments, or requests to the agency, 3. conducting
transactions, e.g: lodging tax returns, applying for services and grants and
4.governance, e.g: online polling, voting, and campaigning.(See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/e-governance visited on 12.12.2010).
3. Thagis: An Indian network of secret fraternities who were engaged in
murdering and robbing travellers, operating from the 17th century (possibly as
early as 13th century) to the 19th century whose members were known as
Thugs. Thagi groups practice large-scale robbery and murder of travellers.
Their modus operandi was to befriend unsuspecting travellers and win their
trust; when the travellers allowed the thugs to join them, the group of thugs
killed them at a suitable place and time before robbing them. Their method of
killing was very often strangulation. Usually two or three thugs were used to
strangle one traveller. The thugs hid the corpses, often by burying them or by
throwing them into wells.(See Chattopadhyay,2000)
4. The Times of India, Kolkata, “State Police Do Away with Posts to streamline
ranks”, 25.1.2005, p.5
5. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus "Community Policing fails as cops take it easy",
dated 8.6.04, p. IV.
6. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, “It’s a cruel city for the elderly”,16.6.07,p.I.
7. The Indian Express, Kolkata Newsline "Police keeps a check on high
spirits,30 held” 26.12.06, p.5 and The Times of India, "Police step up guard
for Holi", 14.3.06, p.3.
8. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, "Cops fund football tour", 23.11.05, P.III.
9. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, "Friendly cops closer than thought",25.4.06, p.
II
10. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, “Click-n-control traffic soon in the city”,
26.7.06, p.I.
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11. The Times of India, Times City, “Cameras, road sensors to untangle traffic
mess”, 1.1.08, p.3.
12. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, “Night traffic vigil to intensify”, 14.2.08.p.III.
13. The Times of India, Times City,“Simputers a hit with police”, 12.1.08, p.7
14. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, “Traffic Police Services now just an SMS away”,
21.9.06, p.III.
15. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, "Cops plan to ban mobile phones at Lalbazaar:
Cellular Security",8.3.06, p. III.
16. The Times of India, “City cops get face recognition to fight terror",17.2.06,
p.5.
17. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, Rajib Chatterjee,"High-tech training for cops":
2.5.06, p. III.
18. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus,"Crime and new crime spots worry cops",
29.4.06, p. III.
19. The Times of India, "Domestic violence on rise among affluent in the city",
2.12.05, p.1.
20. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus,"Number of Juvenile Delinquents on the rise:
Minor crimes, major worry” 6.10.05, p. III.
21. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus , Rajib Chatterjee, "Kidnap climbs in city &
suburbs", ,25.5.06,p. I
22. The Statesman, “Bengal Trails MP: Second in Rape”,14.7.06, p.7.
23. The Statesman, “A city of wifebeaters”, 6.3.07, p1.
24. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus “It’s a cactus land for women”, 8.3.07.p.I.
25. The Statesman,“State worse than Bihar in policing”,19.1.08, p.1.
26. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, "Plastic Purge", 4.2.05, p. IV.
27. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus "Going, going, green!”,23.6.04, p. IV and The
Statesman, Kolkata Plus, "Its Wild! Cops can’t get their acts together",
10.8.04, p. IV
28. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, Chatterjee,"Cops prepare for cat 'n' mouse
game on river", 12.9.04.p. I.
29. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, Roy Chowdhury,"City Police Stumped by
Cyber crime", 5.5.06, p. I.
30. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, "Cyber cops call for joint action",18.11.05,
p.III.
31. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, “Nasscom to the rescue of cyber cops sans
PCs!”, 3.3.06, p. I.
32. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, "Sleuths to train in cyber policing",30.11.05, p.
I.
33. The Statesman, "Professional police please, pleads CM", 20.11.05, p.3.
34. The Statesman, "Time for cops to move up, says the boss", 19.11.05, p.8.
35. Bartaman, 8.3.05, p.5.
36. The Times of India ,"Smart cards flop in Kolkata", 24.4.06, p.4.
37. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, "Greedy cops deplete Kolkata Police
coffers",12.1.06, p. I.
38. The Indian Express, Kolkata Newsline, "2 months later, Kolkata Police yet to
Act: Commissioner says 70% of information cannot be shared", 16.12.05, p.5.
39. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus,"Old is not gold in cops dens", 26.4.06,p.II.
40. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus,"Cops cold to radio hams", 13.4.06, p.I.
41. The Times of India, “City unsafe for women: Buddha”, 22.5.07, p.3.
42. The Telegraph, Metro, “Computer click in cop domain”, 18.7.06, p.23.

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43. The Times of India, Times City, “New police division to curb crime”, 15.2.08,
p.4.
44. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, “Foundation stone for cop- training centre
laid”, 30.1.08, p.III.
45. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, “Stress Management lessons for cops”, 8.8.07,
p.I.
46. The Statesman, Kolkata Plus, “City cops in anti –insurgency gear”, 31.7.07,
p.III.

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