West Bengal Police
The West Bengal Police(Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ পুলিশ) is one of the two police forces of the Indian state of West Bengal. (The other is the Kolkata Police, which has a separate jurisdiction.)
West Bengal Police | |
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![]() West Bengal Police Logo | |
![]() Flag of West Bengal Police | |
Abbreviation | WBP |
Motto | "We Care We Dare" |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1861 |
Employees | Unknown[1] |
Annual budget | ₹8,167 crore (US$1.1 billion) (2020-21 est.) [2] |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | West Bengal, India |
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West Bengal Police Jurisdiction Area | |
Size | 88,752 km2 (34,267 sq mi) |
Population | 91,347,736 (2011) |
Legal jurisdiction | West Bengal, India |
Governing body | Government of West Bengal |
Constituting instrument |
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General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Bhabani Bhawan, Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal |
Minister responsible | |
Agency executive |
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Parent agency | Department of Home (West Bengal) |
Child agencies | |
Notables | |
Significant operation |
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Website | |
wbpolice.gov.in |
The West Bengal Police was reorganized under provisions of the Police Act 1861 during the British Raj. It is headed by an officer designated as the Director General of Police who reports to the State Government through the Home (Police) Department. Shri Virendra, an IPS officer of 1985 batch is the DG & IGP of West Bengal Police since June 1, 2018.
The West Bengal Police has jurisdiction concurrent with the eighteen revenue districts of the State (excluding the metropolitan city of Kolkata) which comprises one of the two general police districts of West Bengal as under the Police Act 1861. The other general police district consists of the major portions of the metropolitan area of Kolkata, and has a separate police force (Kolkata Police) constituted and administered under the Calcutta Police Act 1866 & Calcutta (Suburban Police) Act 1866. This arrangement, unique in India, was conceived during colonial times when Calcutta was the capital of British India. The city police have been kept independent of the state police force.
Structure
Zones
The police administration in the state is divided into three police zones and a Government Railway Police (GRP) Zone, each headed by an Inspector General of Police. Each Zone consists of one or more Ranges headed by an officer designated as the Deputy Inspector General of Police (or Special Inspector General of Police). In all, there are 28 police districts (including four consisting of Government Railway Police districts), each headed by a Superintendent of Police. The three Zones are South Bengal Zone, Western Bengal Zone and North Bengal Zone, and an office of the IGP railways.training college.
Ranges
West Bengal Police has Ten Police Ranges in three zones and a Railways zone.[3]
Zone | Ranges | Districts |
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South Bengal Zone | Presidency Range | Baruipur Police District, Diamond Harbour Police District, Sundarbans Police District, and Howrah Rural Police |
Murshidabad Range | Krishnanagar Police District, Ranaghat Police District and Murshidabad | |
Barasat Range | Barasat Police District, Basirhat Police District and Bongaon Police District | |
Western Zone | Burdwan Range | Hooghly, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman and Birbhum |
Midnapore Range | Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur | |
Bankura Range | Bankura, Purulia and Jhargram | |
North Bengal Zone | Jalpaiguri Range | Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar |
Darjeeling Range | Darjeeling and Kalimpong | |
Malda Range | Malda | |
Raiganj Range | Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur | |
Police ranks
The West Bengal Police maintains the following ranks:
Designation in State Police | Designation in Commissioneret | Abbreviation |
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Director General of Police | DGP | |
Additional Director General of Police | Commissioner of Police or Special Commissioner of Police | Addl. DGP or CP or Spl. CP |
Inspector General of Police | Additional Commissioner of Police | IGP(IG) or Addl. CP |
Deputy Inspector General of Police | Joint Commissioner of Police | DIG or Jt. CP |
Senior Superintendent of Police | Deputy Commissioner of Police (Selection Grade) | SSP or DCP |
Superintendent of Police | Deputy Commissioner of Police | SP or DCP |
Additional Superintendent of Police | Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police | Addl.. SP or Addl. DCP |
Deputy Superintendent of Police /Sub Divisional Police Officer | Assistant Commissioner of Police | DSP/SDPO or ACP |
Assistant Superintendent of Police | Same in both state and city police | Asst. SP |
Police Inspector | Inspector | |
Sub-inspector | SI | |
Assistant Sub-Inspector | ASI | |
Senior Police Constable ( Unarmed division) | ||
Junior Police Constable (Entry level armed division) |
Ranges
Each Range comprises two or more districts and the Range is headed by an Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG). In West Bengal there are 10 ranges, each range is headed by an DIG.
Districts
Each Police District is either coterminous with the Revenue district or in the case of Government Railway Police districts, is located within a number of revenue districts. It is headed by a District Superintendent of Police (or simply called Superintendent of Police). Each district comprises two or more Sub-Divisions, several Circles and Police Stations. But in recent times, Several districts are divided into police districts for better police administration. Each of those police districts are headed by an SP.[4]
Sub-Divisions
Each Sub-Division is headed by one Police officer of the rank Deputy Superintendent of Police (members of West Bengal Police Service, a directly recruited officer or one promoted from the ranks) or an Assistant Superintendent of Police (members of Indian Police Service).
The officer who heads a Sub-Division is known as SDPO i.e. Sub Divisional Police Officer. suv divisional officer is the head of the sub division
Circles
A Circle comprises several Police Stations. An Inspector of Police who heads a police circle is the Circle Inspector of Police or CI.
Stations
A Police Station is headed by either a Sub-Inspector (lower subordinate rank) or an Inspector (an upper subordinate rank). Police outposts are headed by a Sub-Inspector or Assistant Sub Inspector. After the year 2009 both ASI and SI have equal investigation power and both serve as duty officers. A Police Station is the basic unit of policing, responsible for prevention and detection of crime, maintenance of public order, enforcing law in general as well as for performing protection duties and making security arrangements for the constitutional authorities, government functionaries, representatives of the public in different legislative bodies and local self governments, public figures etc.
Comissionerate
A police commissionerate is a law enforcement body especially in the urban parts of the state. The commissionerate is headed by a Commissioner of Police. There are Six commissionerates under West Bengal police, at Howrah, Bidhanagar, Barrackpore, Asansol-Durgapur, Siliguri & Chandannagar for Hooghly Urban Area policing. The Howrah, Chandannagar, Asansol-Durgapur & the Siliguri Police commissionerates are headed by Commissioner of Police(CP) who are of the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police(DIG) while the Bidhanagar, Barrackpore police commissionerates are headed by Commissioner of Police of the rank of Inspector General of Police(IGP).[5]
Organisation
The Police Manual of West Bengal Police was compiled and issued during British Raj and is known as the Police Regulations of Bengal(PRB), 1943 and with subsequent modifications and corrections, is the guiding source of internal Police Organization and Administration under its area of responsibility. The WBP is divided into a number of units:
Armed Police
The Armed Battalions consisting of State Armed Police (SAP), Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) and India Reserve Battalions (IRBs),
Civil Police
The Civil Police consists of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Counter Insurgency Force (CIF), Enforcement Branch (EB), Intelligence Branch (IB), Traffic Branch, Police Telecommunications, Training Wing, State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) & Police Computer Centre (PCC).
STRACO
An elite force named "STRACO" has been created to combat insurgency & terrorism, posted in West Zone to fight Maoist guerrillas. WBP is raising another new "Counter Insurgency" force on the line of Gray Hound Special Force of Andhra Pradesh Police.
STF
West Bengal government created new directorate of the Special Task Force under West Bengal Police[6]
SVSPA
The Swami Vivekananda State Police Academy (SVSPA) is the state level police training institution catering to the training needs of West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police. The Academy conducts basic training for DSP Probationers, Cadet Sub-Inspectors of both Armed & Un-Armed branches and Recruit Constables for West Bengal Police and also for Warders and Inspectors of Correctional Services, Sub- Inspectors and Sergeants of Kolkata Police. The Academy also conducts Pre-promotional training for Constables, Asst. SI's and SI's for their promotion to the next rank besides conducting various short in- service training courses on different professional issues. SVSPA is well equipped with in-house faculty members both for academic indoor training and outdoor training. Besides, a number of eminent faculty members from different disciplines take classes for the training programs. These include academicians, experts from Forensic Science Medicine, scientific officers/experts from Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) & Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), lawyers, judicial officers and senior police officers.[7]
Recruitments
Entries are done at the following ranks:
1. Constables / Lady constables, Sub Inspectors and Lady Sub inspectors: Appointment done through West Bengal Police Recruitment Board.
2. West Bengal Police Service: Officers selected through West Bengal Civil Service (Group-B) etc. Examination conducted by West Bengal Publice Service Commission are appointed as Deputy Superintendents of Police.
4. Indian Police Service: Officers selected through Civil Service Examinations conducted by Union Public Service Commission are appointed as Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Eastern Frontier Rifles
The Eastern Frontier Rifles are an armed police force of the WBP, the purpose of which is to control major law & order problems, communal riots and terrorist attacks. Many contingents of EFR are kept deployed in various disturbed areas of the State. However, in recent years the effectiveness of this force has been weakened by overuse and prolonged deployment at Police Stations for day-to-day law & order duties. The headquarters of EFR is at Salua, near Kharagpur.
Counter Insurgency Force
The specialised force of the CIF was raised by the Government following the worsening situation in the jungle mahal. The force was charged with the specific task of curbing presence of the maoists within the state. The force was allowed its own recruiting process so as to select the best men from within the force. The importance of this organization can be judged by the fact that it is headed by an Additional Director General of Police.
Ranks
The Director General functions from the West Bengal Police Directorate, located in the Writers' Buildings, the State Government's main Secretariat in Central Kolkata. He is assisted by a team of senior officers from the ranks of Additional DG & IG of Police to Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG — a post equivalent in rank and status to the Superintendent of Police). Officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police are selected by the West Bengal Public Service Commission through the West Bengal Service Civil Service (Executive & other services) Exams. In addition to this, the direct Sub Inspectors of Police may also become Deputy Superintendent of Police on promotion,D.C, after successful completion of their tenure as Inspectors of Police.
Insignia of West Bengal Police (State Police)
Insignia | ![]() |
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Rank | Additional Superintendent of Police | Deputy Superintendent of Police | |||||||
Abbreviation | ASP/Addl. SP | DSP/Dy. SP | |||||||
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Insignia | ![]() |
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No Insignia¹ | ||
Rank | Inspector of Police | Assistant Inspector of Police2 | Sub-Inspector of Police | Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police | Police Head Constable3 | Senior Police Constable3 | Police Constable | ||
Abbreviation | INS | API | SI | ASI/HCP | HC | SC | PC | ||
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Equipment
- INSAS rifle in 5.56mm NATO
- OFB Excalibur Rifle - 292 unit on order.[11][12]
- Revolvers [13]
- Pistol Auto 9mm 1A [13]
- AK 47 [13]
- Heckler & Koch MP5[13]
- Sterling Submachine Gun : Indian Version
- SLR: Indian Version of FN FAL
- 7.62mm SLR: With special tube attachment.[13]
- Lee-Enfield .303 British Rifle : Indian Version
- OFB 12 Bore Pump Action Gun.[13]
- 51mm Mortar[13]
- 0.203 Riot Gun[13]
- Gas Gun[13]
- Grenade[13]
See also
References
- "2018 WBPS list" (PDF), WB Police Gazette
- "West Bengal Budget Analysis 2019-20" (PDF), PRS Legislative Research
- "Organization chart of West Bengal Police". WBP. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- Nandi, Soumitra (21 February 2017). "Three new police districts to be set up". The Asian Age. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- "WB govt to set up two new police commissionerates", Indian Express, retrieved 15 November 2017
- "West Bengal govt creates new directorate of Special Task Force". Financial Express. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- "SVSPA: The Seedbed Where Future Cops Grow". theprotector.in. 29 May 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- "Police Ranks" (PDF). Maharashtra Police. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- "Governance of Kerala Police". Kerala Police. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- "Police Ranks and Badges". Odisha Police. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- The Times of India (6 August 2016). "Excalibur muscle for Bengal police". timesofindia.com. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- NYOOOZ (6 August 2016). "Excalibur muscle for Bengal police". nyoooz.com. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- "WEST BENGAL POLICE GAZETTE" (PDF). www.policewb.gov.in. West Bengal Police Authority. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2016.