New Police Reforms project launched in Telangana

The Indian Police Foundation (IPF), a leading think tank on law enforcement, has signed an agreement with the Telangana Police Department to launch a Police Reforms Project in the state. This collaboration is part of the larger Internal Police Reforms Project, supported by the Azim Premji Foundation, which is already running in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Telangana.

The main goal of the project is to improve the way the police interact with the public. It aims to strengthen grievance redressal systems at police stations, build public trust, enhance citizen satisfaction, and encourage more responsive policing in Telangana.

Telangana’s Director General of Police, Jitender, said the project will introduce initiatives, best practices, and standard operating procedure (SOP) recommendations from other states. These will complement the state’s ongoing efforts, including services like ‘Mee Seva’, QR codes at police stations, the Centre of Excellence, and the T-Safe app for women travelling in autos and taxis.

Telangana Police Academy Director Abhilasha Bisht, who is the State Nodal Officer for the project, said this collaboration shows a shared commitment to creating a modern, people-focused policing system. IPF President and CEO, Om Prakash Singh, emphasized that IPF works to improve policing in states through research, training, and policy advice. IPF has already set up state chapters in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, with plans to expand further.

Initially, the project will cover 30 police stations - 15 in Cyberabad and 15 in Sangareddy. Public consultation meetings will be held with citizens, victims, accused individuals, NGOs, judiciary members, and police personnel to understand key issues and priorities. Using insights from these consultations, along with best practices like e-FIR, community policing programs, SOP revisions, and expert guidance, a comprehensive action plan will be created.

After this, structured training will be provided to all police staff in the selected stations. The project will run for one year, followed by evaluation by an independent third party. Recommendations that prove successful will be scaled up across all police stations in Telangana.

Senior officials, including IPF Vice President and Project Director Ish Kumar, attended the event.