West Bengal Police has signed an agreement with the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) to overhaul beat policing, while the Police Mitra app has been launched to strengthen accountability and public interaction across the state. The reforms will cover beat officers working in 38,000 villages and include digital equipment, interaction records and a defined reporting structure.
The memorandum of understanding was signed on Friday, and the app was launched at Nabanna Sabhaghar by Suvendu Adhikari, who was identified as the chief minister in the report. Adhikari directed the home secretary to provide beat officers with tablets, laptops, printers and dedicated mobile phones for implementing the programme.
The administration also clarified that civic volunteers should not be used to carry out the reforms. The stated objective is to make beat policing a more direct and accountable link between residents and the police, with people expected to know their designated officer, the officer’s responsibilities and the relevant contact number.
Under the proposed system, beat officers will have to maintain tour books and interaction registers. Video recordings of public interactions will also have to be preserved. These requirements are intended to create a documented record of police engagement with residents rather than leave local outreach dependent on informal or unverifiable interactions.
The announcement comes against a stated shortage of police personnel in West Bengal. Adhikari said the state had 105 police personnel per lakh population, compared with a national average of 155. The staffing gap was cited while discussing the need to strengthen beat-level policing and improve the way officers remain connected with communities.
Adhikari sought a three-month extension from BPR&D director general Alok Mittal to implement the agreement effectively. The extension request indicates that the state intends to use the additional period to put the operational requirements in place, including equipment, record-keeping and administrative supervision.
The reforms also assign responsibilities to senior police and government officials. Adhikari asked DGP Siddhinath Gupta to establish a clear reporting hierarchy and ensure that regular updates are sent to both state and central authorities. The home secretary was directed to oversee the provision of equipment to beat officers.
For residents, the programme is designed to make local policing more identifiable and accessible, particularly in villages where the beat officer may be the first formal point of contact with the police. The requirement for officers to record tours and public interactions provides an administrative mechanism for monitoring whether the system is functioning as announced.
The next phase will involve implementing the agreement across the state, equipping beat officers and establishing the reporting and record-preservation processes. The requested three-month extension from BPR&D will determine the time available for these measures to be put in place.
