West Bengal Launches Cyber and Women Help Desks in Police Stations; ‘Durga Bahini’ Motorcycle Patrol Force Flagged Off

MP, July 3, 2026, Kolkata: The state government on Thursday launched cyber help desks in 500 police stations and women help desks in all police stations across West Bengal, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announcing a series of measures to strengthen women’s safety, combat cybercrime and modernise policing.

The ‘Durga Bahini’ (Women Police Force) also commenced operations after being flagged off by the Chief Minister. Women personnel of the force will patrol different areas on motorcycles to prevent crimes against women. In the first phase, 213 motorcycles have been allocated, with the fleet to be expanded in stages.

Launching the initiatives, the Chief Minister laid out an ambitious roadmap for police reforms, directing officers to register complaints without suppressing crime data and reduce emergency response time from the current average of around three hours to five minutes within the next year.

To achieve this target, the government plans to deploy 16,000 newly trained personnel from September — 12,000 in the state police and 4,000 in Kolkata Police.

Adhikari accused the previous government of failing to share crime-related data with the Union Home Ministry and instructed officers not to suppress complaints.

“Every complaint should be converted into an FIR wherever warranted and investigated in accordance with the law,” he said.

Addressing police personnel through video conferencing, the Chief Minister described cybercrime as a “social epidemic”, saying fraudsters were increasingly targeting people by stealing banking details while they applied for government welfare schemes.

He announced that an officer of ADG or IG rank would be appointed to exclusively supervise cybercrime policing and coordinate with the Union Home Ministry. The cyber wing will also be strengthened with modern equipment and logistical support.

Calling women’s safety the government’s foremost priority, Adhikari referred to crimes against women, including the RG Kar case, and said the administration would follow a policy of “zero tolerance” and ensure prompt legal action.

Acknowleding shortages of manpower and infrastructure in police stations, the Chief Minister said the government aimed to build a modern police force on a par with the Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces while ensuring operational autonomy and adherence to the chain of command.

Referring to the recent Taratala warehouse collapse, Adhikari said coordinated efforts by the police, fire services, civic authorities, the NDRF and the Army had helped rescue 20 people alive despite 16 fatalities.

Drawing lessons from the operation, he directed officials to roll out the statewide 112 emergency response system before Durga Puja.