New Beat System by the Karnataka State Police

NEW BEAT SYSTEM BY THE KARNATAKA STATE POLICE

Karnataka State Police has introduced 'New Beat System' with effect from 1^st April, 2017 to reinforce community policing and to achieve its objective of 'Citizen Centric Policing' in the State. Salient features of 'New Beat System' are as follows:

1) EMPOWERING POLICEMEN:

All the Police Officers from the Commissioners of Police/ District Superintendents of Police to the Police Inspector/ Police Sub-Inspector are responsible for policing of a specific territorial jurisdiction. The Head Constables / Police Constables who constitute more than 90% of the police strength were earlier not assigned with any specific territorial jurisdiction. In the New Beat System, each and every Head Constable / Police Constable in the Police Station has been assigned with a specific jurisdiction as his/ her area of responsibility and are known as 'Beat Police Officers'. They are now the Police officers in charge of a specific jurisdiction.

2) DECENTRALISATION OF POLICING:

Police Stations presently are the smallest administrative, functional and geographical unit of the State Police. However for proper policing there was a need for further geographical division of police stations in both urban and rural areas. Though earlier also 'Beats' existed in the Police Stations but all the Head Constables and Constables were not assigned to these beats. Now all Head Constables and Constables are assigned a beat which has become the smallest geographical unit for policing.

3) STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITY POLICING:

As specific Head Constable/ Police Constable are incharge of each Beat, therefore citizens both in urban and rural areas can identify policeman who are specifically incharge of policing for their jurisdiction. This policeman who is incharge of a Beat serves as specific contact point between the citizen and the police station.

4)   CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY WITH THE POLICE:

Each Beat is having a number of citizens as the 'Beat Citizen Committee Members'. This number is on an average around 30 in each Beat. This Beat Citizens Group who are staying with the beat area maintain contact with Beat Police officers 24X7 and pass required information to him either over voice call or SMS or through Whatsapp message by maintaining a Whatsapp group of Beat Citizens Group with Beat Police officer.

5)   MAKING POLICING MORE EFFECTIVE

With wider participation of public, there is more grass root level information/ intelligence available to police and that makes policing proactive and more effective.

6)   MAKING POLICE SERVICES MORE APPROACHABLE:

Each of the citizens in the Police Station jurisdiction shall have one Head Constable / Police Constable as their contact point and therefore in case of any crime or public order situation, they will have easy access to police service as they can contact the concerned Beat Police Officer for assistance.