Commissionerate System

Commissionerate System

Subject – Governance

Context – Madhya Pradesh: Commissionerate system stuck in IAS-IPS wrangle 11 years and promises later

Concept –

• In the commissionerate system, the Commissioner of Police (CP) is the head of a unified police command structure, is responsible for the force in the city, and is accountable to the state government.
• The office also has magisterial powers, including those related to regulation, control, and licensing.
• Under the new system, a commissioner does not have to report to the district magistrates. And, the judicial and executive powers from inquiries to granting license, permits and permissions — will be shifted to police officers from magistrates.
• The CP is drawn from the Deputy Inspector General rank or above, and is assisted by Special/Joint/Additional/Deputy Commissioners.
• In the arrangement in force at the district level, a ‘dual system’ of control exists, in which the Superintendent of Police (SP) has to work with the District Magistrate (DM) for supervising police administration.
• It is supposed to allow for faster decision-making to solve complex urban-centric issues.
• Under the 7th Schedule of the Constitution, ‘Police’ is under the State list, meaning individual states typically legislate and exercise control over this subject.
• The sixth National Police Commission report, which was released in 1983, recommended the introduction of a police commissionerate system in cities with a population of 5 lakh and above, as well as in places having special conditions.
• The British brought the system first in Kolkata and followed it in Mumbai and Chennai presidencies. Delhi turned into a commissionerate during the Morarji Desai regime.