Bengal government aims to reduce police response time to emergencies: CM Suvendu Adhikari

PTI, Oct 10, 2026, Kolkata : West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said his government aims to reduce police response time as he launched the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112).

Addressing a programme at the Brigade Parade Ground here, where he unveiled 450 four-wheelers and an equal number of motorcycles as part of the system, Adhikari said the average emergency response time of West Bengal Police was around 90 minutes, compared with 10-15 minutes for Kolkata Police, which has more personnel and vehicles.

“Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat respond to emergencies within six to 10 minutes. Why can’t our state achieve this?” he asked police officials, urging them to work towards faster responses.

“Today is just the beginning. Within a year, we will provide four motorcycles and four cars to every police station in the state,” he said, adding that the state cabinet had approved the recruitment of 1,500 drivers for the vehicles.

Adhikari also warned of stringent action against anyone attacking police personnel, asserting that maintaining law and order and ensuring the force’s safety would be the state government’s priority.

Referring to a recent incident in Park Circus, where stones were allegedly hurled at police personnel, and an attack on a police outpost in Asansol, he said no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands.

“If any criminal or lawbreaker dares to lay a hand on police personnel, the consequences will be severe,” he warned, adding that compensation had been recovered from those involved in vandalising the Asansol outpost.

“I have passed two laws to strengthen the hands of police: One to recover costs of damage to public property from the perpetrator and second, to carry out preventive arrests,” Adhikari said, clarifying that while the first Act has already been implemented, the second law currently remains under consideration of the Home Ministry.

Taking a swipe at the previous TMC government, Adhikari alleged that the police force had been left inadequately equipped and unable to respond effectively to public distress calls.

“Earlier, if anyone called 100, there was no response. Police had effectively been reduced to ‘Nidhiram Sardar’, without a shield or a sword,” he said, using the Bengali expression for a powerless figure to describe what he called the force’s condition under the erstwhile dispensation.

The CM reiterated the state’s plan to form a State Investigation Agency (SIA), a specialised intelligence and law enforcement body modelled after the central National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The proposed agency is being established to strengthen West Bengal’s internal security and will function as a nodal state-level agency to spearhead specialised investigations into terrorism, cross-border infiltration, anti-national activities, sabotage, and organised crime networks.

“I thank Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had emphasised during meetings in Siliguri and Kolkata, better coordination between police and BSF to guard borders and the need to form an SIA force in line with the NIA,” Adhikari said.

The CM said plans were afoot to raise two Indian Reserve (IR) battalions following assurances of funds from the Union home secretary.

Adhikari highlighted changes initiated in the police administration during the five months since he assumed office, saying he had visited several police establishments, including the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate, Taratala and Bhavani Bhavan, to assess their functioning.

The initiatives included inspecting control rooms, improving traffic management and felicitating police personnel and fire service workers for their life-saving services, he said.

Highlighting the need to strengthen the state’s policing capacity, Adhikari said West Bengal currently has 155 police personnel for every one lakh people, compared with 200 in Uttar Pradesh under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

During the previous government’s tenure, the ratio stood at just 105 personnel per lakh population, he claimed.

“Without adequate manpower, logistical support, modern equipment and empowering the cybercrime cell, it is impossible to fight legal battles or maintain law and order,” the CM said, underlining the need to augment the force to meet its administrative and operational responsibilities.

The chief minister also flagged the poor condition of police stations, saying many lacked basic facilities and adequate maintenance.

Referring to his visits to Watgunge and Ekbalpore police stations in Kolkata, he said the buildings appeared to be nearly a century old and lacked proper CCTV systems and fire extinguishers.

“All of this has to change,” he said.

Praising the force, Adhikari said senior officers, including DGP Siddhinath Gupta and IPS officer Javed Shamim, had ensured that there was no bloodshed during the recent bypolls to two assembly seats.

The CM said the recruitment processes had been made transparent, unlike the previous regime, and announced that more than 11,000 constables would be appointed before Durga Puja.

“The recruitment exercise had been held up by the earlier government on account of legal complications surrounding OBC reservation. The state government subsequently amended the relevant legislation in the Assembly, departing from its earlier position to address the issue. Following the Calcutta High Court verdict on a case of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidates, Police Recruitment Board chairman Niraj Kumar Singh had already published the list of selected candidates,” Adhikari said.

The CM said he would personally attend the appointment programme next Friday to hand over appointment letters to the newly recruited constables.

Adhikari said his government had zero tolerance for drug abuse and attacks on women, reiterating his commitment to securing justice for the family of the doctor raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.