Punjab Police
AbbreviationPP
Agency overview
Formed1861
Employees80,000[1]
Annual budget₹10,523 crore (US$1.3 billion) (2023–24 est.)[2]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionPunjab, IN
Map of Punjab Police's jurisdiction
Governing bodyGovernment of Punjab (India)
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersChandigarh
Elected officer responsible
Agency executives
Facilities
Motorcycles, jeeps, cars, buses, trucks and armoured Vehicles3,080[3]
Notables
Anniversary
  • 21 October
Website
punjabpolice.gov.in

The Punjab Police (abbreviated as PP) is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the state of Punjab, India. Punjab Police has a broad array of specialized services, including the prevention and detection of crime, maintenance of law and order and the enforcement of the Constitution of India. Its headquarters are located at Jan Marg, Chandigarh. On 7 September 2011, Punjab Police started a video conferencing service to redress problems of NRIs.[4] The present DGP of Punjab Police is Gaurav Yadav IPS.[5][6] He is an IPS officer of 1992 batch.

History

After Indian independence, Punjab police were initially responsible for the protection of the Indo-Pakistan as well as the Indo-Chinese borders before BSF and ITBP were created.[7]

Rapid Rural Police Response System

Punjab is the first state of India to have a Rapid Rural Police Response System which provides City PCR-like response service in rural areas.[8] As Punjab Police adopted Computer-Aided-Dispatch (CAD) system for Dial 100 system, 289 four-wheelers and 724 GPS fitted motorcycles are being used.[9][10]

Punjab Highway Patrol

Punjab Police have global positioning system (GPS) tracker and vehicle registration search device equipped highway patrol vehicles.[11]

Crime Investigation Agency

Crime Investigation Agency or CIA staff is a special branch of Punjab Police. The crucial or unsolved criminal cases like smuggling, kidnapping, narcotics, terrorism and murder are handed over to them. This branch of police is known for its ways to interrogate the culprit who committed the crime.

Night policing scheme

Punjab is the first state in the country to launch a night policing scheme with independent cadre, command and structure of a 4,000 strong police force[12] for prevention of offences at night time.[13]

Punjab Bureau of Investigation

Punjab Bureau of Investigation was set up in 2019 with 4521 dedicated new posts.[14][15][16] Punjab is the first state of India to form a Bureau of Investigation, and separated law & order duties from investigation functions by bringing all investigation staff of 7,772 under a unified wing command.[17][18]

The Bureau of Investigation conducts investigation into civil and criminal cases registered at various police stations[19] and is equipped with:

Training centres

Armed battalions

The headquarters of the Punjab Armed Police are located at Jalandhar while the India Reserve Battalions are stationed at Sangrur, Amritsar, Patiala, Ludhiana and Jalandhar and the Punjab Commando Police at Bahadurgarh (Patiala) and S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali).

Weapons and equipment

Main article: Law enforcement in India § Weapons and equipment

PP was equipped with .303 rifles, AK-47, AK-56 and 561 Sten Guns but modernisation with advanced weapons is now taking place.[21]

Vehicles

Punjab Police have 3083 vehicles[3] and patrol cars like Mahindra Scorpio Getaways[22][23] and Maruti Gypsys.[24] PP also have motorcycles equipped with GPS and Multi Utility Vehicles equipped with GPS and CCTV cameras.[25]

Cyber Crime Cell Punjab

Punjab Police have a dedicated cybercrime cell to deal with cybercrime in the state headed by ADGP ranked police officer having an office in Phase 4, S.A.S Nagar.

Punjab SWAT

Main article: Punjab Police SWAT Team

Punjab Police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team was formed in 2010.[26][27] They are usually tasked with protection duties.[28] They are highly trained on the lines of National Security Guard by Israel's Mossad[29] through private company Athena Security, deployed by the Punjab Government.[30] All the commandos are under 28 years of age, thus making them fit and capable of tasks meant for commandos. Their main work is to fight against any terrorist attack if it occurs in Punjab State. They have been trained exclusively in Krav Maga, room intervention, close and open techniques and other secret tactics.[31]

The SWAT is provided with various state-of-art equipment and the latest technology.[32] The teams are provided with:

Weapons

Major operation

Punjab SWAT handled counter-terrorism operation at Dina Nagar[33] Police Station in a 2015 Gurdaspur attack[34][35] by killing all three suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists.[36]

Commemoration Day

Every year, 21 October is celebrated as Commemoration Day by Punjab Police.[37]

Hierarchy

Officers

Sub-ordinates

In popular culture

Members of the Punjab Police have been frequently portrayed in films. Some of the prominent ones are:

Punjabi films

Hindi films

Sporting division

Main article: Punjab Police FC

Praise

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India praised Punjab Police saying,[37]

I know the difficulties and disaster which overtook the Punjab Police during the period of partition. Your force was depleted terribly and quickly you had to begin from a scratch. After such a partition and the period of communal disturbances a parallel of which is not known, you had to face great difficulties and you have in fact performed a miracle in reorganizing your force in such a short time and in such a splendid manner.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Punjab has over 70,000 policemen".
  2. ^ "Punjab Budget Analysis 2023-24". prsindia.org. 2023.
  3. ^ a b "punjab police is getting problem due to vehicle scarcity". www.patrika.com (in Hindi). 15 February 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Punjab". Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Punjab: Bhagwant Mann picks Gaurav Yadav as officiating DGP — 5th police chief in 10 months". The Indian Express. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Punjab Police, India". Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Tribune Chandigarh".
  8. ^ "Punjab to be the first state to have 'rapid rural police response system', Odisha Current News, Odisha Latest Headlines". OdishaDiary. 30 July 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Punjab set to launch new rural policing system". The Hindu. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Rapid Rural Police Response System finalised". The Pioneer. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  11. ^ Dua, Rohan (15 July 2013). "Punjab introduces GPS-enabled highway patrol vehicles". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  12. ^ India (15 July 2013). "4,000-strong force to police Punjab at night". The Indian Express. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  13. ^ "Punjab launches night policing". Business Standard India. Indo-Asian News Service. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  14. ^ "Soon, Punjab to get separate investigation, law and order police wings in all districts". The Indian Express. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  15. ^ "Explained: What is the Punjab Bureau of Investigation?". The Indian Express. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Acting on SC order, Punjab creates 4,521 posts for Bureau of Investigation". The Tribune. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Finally, investigation bureau takes shape". The Tribune. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  18. ^ Bajwa, Harpreet (5 March 2015). "Punjab Sets up Bureau of Investigation". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  19. ^ "Punjab Govt separates investigation from law and order". The Pioneer. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  20. ^ "Punjab Police gets separate wing to speed up investigations". hindustantimes.com. 4 March 2015. Archived from the original on 4 August 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  21. ^ Service, Tribune News (30 July 2015). "Punjab cops equipped with useless arms: CAG". tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  22. ^ "Punjab Police adds 150 Scorpio Getaways to its fleet". IIFL - BSE/NSE, India Stock Market Recommendations, Live Stock Markets, Sensex/Nifty, Commodity Market, Financial News, Mutual Funds. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  23. ^ Basu, Rahul (24 September 2010). "Punjab Police armoured with 30 new Scorpio Getaways". Zigwheels.com. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  24. ^ "Punjab Police Gypsy 'hits' youth, speeds away". hindustantimes.com. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
  25. ^ "Punjab police to get GPS bikes, CCTV-fitted cars soon". daily.bhaskar.com. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  26. ^ "Israeli trainers for SWAT teams of Punjab Police".
  27. ^ "Family of Punjab SWAT firing victim awaits justice".
  28. ^ "Punjab had formed this SWAT team in 2011 after regular threats on Punjab politicians".
  29. ^ "The 28 Punjab commandos involved in Monday's operation were also trained by Mossad".
  30. ^ "The state government had deployed a private company, Athena Security, to get the team trained through Israeli experts spending Rs 1.5 crore on the training". Archived from the original on 17 September 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  31. ^ "Gurdaspur attack: Punjab Police SWAT team bang on target". Archived from the original on 31 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  32. ^ "Punjab Now Has Its Own SWAT".
  33. ^ "The SWAT team deployed in Dinanagar was involved in an exercise at Amritsar and therefore could be deployed in Gurdaspur immediately".
  34. ^ "How Punjab's new heroes stared death in the face and came back laughing".
  35. ^ "Gurdaspur attack: Punjab's SWAT team's creation bears fruit".
  36. ^ "Lashkar-e-Taiba behind Gurdaspur terror attack, confirms MHA".
  37. ^ a b Police Commemoration Day
  38. ^ "Watch: Babbu Maan in Baaz". The Times of India. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2015.

External links

Law enforcement in India
State of Punjab, India
Authority control databases: National
Categories