Bihar police launch community policing programme to strengthen ties with citizens

PATNA: With the objective of bridging the gap between the police and the public, the Bihar Police have launched a community policing programme in the state. Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar issued an order in this regard on Monday.

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Headquarters, Sunil Kumar said on Monday that the new system has come into effect from this month. Under the new system, each police station will have a dedicated officer to handle community policing within its jurisdiction.

The community policing programme will target vulnerable groups, including the elderly, women and children. It will also focus on youth falling prey to drug abuse, child abuse and cybercrime. Awareness campaigns will be launched in schools and colleges for this purpose.

Property-related disputes will also be taken up by the officer concerned. As per the order issued by the police headquarters, police officers will work in tandem with elected representatives of panchayats to deal with property-related cases.

The order issued to all SPs also talked about beat policing, which has virtually come to a halt in recent times. Under the system, officers were assigned specific localities to ensure the safety and security of residents and their property.

“The whole exercise is aimed at taking up complaints at the panchayat level before they reach the police stations concerned. Sarpanchs and panchs will be provided training for the purpose and will also be assisted by the station house officers (SHOs) concerned,” the ADGP said.

The ADGP said the chaukidari system in rural areas would also be strengthened to collect information about illegal activities in remote areas. Chaukidars have been attached to the police stations concerned. Earlier, they used to conduct night patrols in villages.

The programme will focus on regular interaction with citizens, child safety awareness and keeping youth away from drug abuse. By establishing localised rapport, the police aim to gather grassroots intelligence and resolve neighbourhood disputes before they escalate into major crimes.