The Bengaluru City Police (BCP) have submitted a draft proposal to the state government based on the latter’s guidelines to split the city police into five divisions along the lines of the Greater Bengaluru Authority. The August 1 proposal is meant to improve crime control and law-and-order management. It envisages five divisions—Central, North, South, East and West—under a chief commissioner of DGP rank, with each division headed by a commissioner of inspector general or DIG rank, reporting to the chief commissioner. The case for restructuring is difficult to ignore. Bengaluru remains India’s only metro yet to redesign its police commissionerate to keep pace with its growing population, even as the city has emerged as the country’s economic and technological nerve centre. The rise in crime, acknowledged by Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, adds to the urgency.
Restructuring the BCP has been under consideration for some time. With its jurisdiction now spread over 800 sq km and 118 police stations, however, the city’s continuous expansion has made a rethink of the existing structure necessary. Bureau of Police Research & Development data puts Bengaluru’s police-public ratio at 110-115 per lakh population, against the national sanctioned ratio of 196 and the UN-recommended benchmark of 222 per lakh. The shortage is significant for a city whose police jurisdiction now covers 800 sq km and 118 police stations. The gap shows how far policing capacity falls short of the demands placed on it.
Structural reforms may ease the functioning of the police and create scope for quicker promotions. But equal, if not greater, attention must be given to the police-public connect. Technology, too, must be used to improve the quality of policing. These are essential to give the public a greater sense of security.
Manpower shortage is a major setback for the force. It is not just an administrative shortfall; it directly affects crime prevention, maintenance of law and order, the quality of investigation and the pendency of cases. Ultimately, it affects public trust in law enforcement. The problem is specific to Bengaluru, but the lesson applies to policing across the country, where the police-public ratio stands at 153 per lakh population. This makes the ‘force multiplier’ concept particularly relevant, with greater reliance on technology to connect with and monitor populations without requiring a proportional increase in personnel, helping smaller forces achieve better results in public-oriented policing.
