Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 13 (ANI): West Bengal Police on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, for the implementation of a one-year action plan aimed at ensuring the effective utilisation of beat-level policing in the state.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari graced the programme organised at Nabanna Sabhaghar, where the MoU was signed.
The initiative seeks to transition towards a decentralised, beat-level policing system, making designated beat officers the primary point of contact for citizens and enabling them to report problems directly to officers assigned to their respective areas.
Speaking about the agreement, West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal said the MoU involves the BPR&D, the Government of India’s apex body dedicated to research and development in police reforms and policing, and focuses specifically on beat policing in collaboration with the West Bengal government.
“The MoU signed today involves the BPR&D, the Government of India’s apex body dedicated to research and development for police reforms and policing. This agreement focuses specifically on ‘beat policing’ in collaboration with the Government of West Bengal. Since the current administration took office, the West Bengal government has initiated and significantly expanded its beat policing framework, achieving notable progress. By working together, we expect to see a substantial impact within a year. Designated officers will maintain regular interaction with the public and cultivate sources, facilitating the exchange of information. This will ensure the public stays informed about developments in their area. Through the use of a dedicated app and IT infrastructure, data from across the state will be consolidated. This will enable timely action on actionable intelligence and allow the police to assist those who may be suffering or facing oppression,” Agarwal told ANI.
West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Siddh Nath Gupta said the new system would shift the primary unit of policing from the police station to the Anchal Officer (zonal officer) or Beat Officer, allowing citizens to approach their designated officers directly instead of having to visit a police station.
Speaking to ANI, Gupta said, “Essentially, in the existing system, the police station has traditionally been the primary unit; everything had to be reported there. Now, the Anchal Officer (zonal officer) or Beat Officer will become the primary unit. If an individual faces a problem, instead of going to the police station, they can directly call or message their designated Beat Officer. The Beat Officer, operating at the zonal level, will then address and resolve the issue. This is a major step forward; it eliminates the need to visit a police station and wait there.”
BPR&D Director General Alok Mittal said the initiative followed a recommendation made at the national conference of DGPs, which called for the effective implementation of beat policing at the police station level across all states.
Speaking to ANI, Mittal said, “One of the recommendations from the national conference of DGPs was that ‘beat policing’ should be effectively implemented at the police station level across all states. In line with this, the Union Home Minister directed the BPR&D to collaborate with all states and sign MoUs. Accordingly, we have today signed an MoU with the West Bengal Police. We have also formulated a one-year national action plan to facilitate its implementation.” (ANI)
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