Taking a leaf out of Raipur’s book , Pg7

Key Highlights:

• Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai announced the implementation of the Police Commissionerate system in Raipur on Independence Day.
• Raipur will be the first city in Chhattisgarh to implement this system to address law and order challenges.
• The population of Raipur exceeded 10 lakh as per the 2011 Census, a criterion previously required for implementing the system.
• The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 has removed the mandatory condition of a city being notified as a metropolitan area for implementing the Police Commissionerate.

Detailed Insights:

• The Police Commissionerate system vests powers of the executive magistrate in police officers, streamlining decision-making and implementation related to crime control and public order.
• Under the BNSS, any police officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Police can be entrusted with the powers of an executive magistrate by the State government.
• The system originated during the British era, with Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay being the first cities to implement it through Act No. XIII of 1856.
• States like Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Orissa, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh have adopted the Police Commissionerate system.
• The draft Model Police Act, 2006, proposed by the Soli Sorabjee Committee, aimed to create a uniform law for police forces but has not been fully adopted by any State.
• The implementation of the Police Commissionerate system aims to address delays caused by consultations between executive magistrates and police officials in urgent situations.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Police Commissionerate System: A policing structure where police officers are vested with magisterial powers for efficient law enforcement.
• Executive Magistrate: An officer with judicial powers related to maintaining law and order.
• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS): New criminal procedure code enacted in 2023, replacing the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).