Rajasthan Police has inked a pact with Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India for enabling technology driven beat policing in the state.
This will help in making beat policing in Rajasthan more effective, accountable and citizen-centric.
This MoU marks a crucial step towards implementing a one-year action plan designed to strengthen beat-level policing, in line with the recommendations of the DGP/IGP Conference 2025.
The MoU is the manifestation of DGP Rajasthan Rajeev Kumar Sharma's efforts for effective policing in the state. Before joining as DGP Rajasthan, Sharma was DG Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D).
The MoU was signed by Deepak Bhargava, Deputy Inspector General (Crime) Rajasthan Police and Dr. Kiran Kang Sidhu, Deputy Inspector General (National Police Mission, BPR&D).
Beat Policing is fundamental unit of policing
Alok Mittal, DG BPR&D said that the ‘beat' constitutes the fundamental unit of policing. Recognising the importance of beat policing, and in compliance with the directives of the Home Minister Amit Shah to formulate a one-year action plan based on the recommendations of the DGP/IGP Conference 2025, this marks the second such MoU signed by the BPR&D – following the one with the Goa Police.
Mittal said that under the MoU, BPR&D, in collaboration with the Rajasthan Police, would undertake effective measures to strengthen beat policing.
“Such MoUs facilitate mutual learning regarding best practices. He also commended the Rajasthan Police's ‘beat cluster' concept,” he said.
Beat Policing crucial connect between police and public
Rajeev Kumar Sharma, Rajasthan Director General of Police (DGP) described beat policing as the most crucial point of contact between the police and the public, emphasising the need to make it more effective and result-oriented.
He said that, moving beyond traditional beat policing functions, the integration of technology would now yield better results on the ground.
Sharma praised Chandigarh's ‘beat book' practice and expressed commitment to adopting it. He said that the MoU would play a pivotal role in making beat policing more organised, accountable, participatory, information-driven, and technology-enabled, while also enhancing crime prevention, police-public dialogue, and police effectiveness at the local level.
Selection of Nine Districts for the First Phase
Under the MoU, the new beat system is being implemented in the first phase by selecting a total of nine districts—one from each range. The districts included in this phase are Sikar, Jaipur North, Dholpur, Didwana-Kuchaman, Kota City, Dungarpur, Churu, Jaisalmer, and Jodhpur West.
“Following this, the new beat system will be rolled out across the remaining districts of the state, based on the experiences, achievements, and successful innovations of the first phase,” said a senior police official.
Under this initiative, the beat structure will be rationalised based on factors such as population, crime patterns, geographical conditions, and the urban-rural nature of the area. Geo-mapped beat profiles will be created by identifying hotspots, sensitive locations, key institutions, and other local requirements at the beat level.
Strengthening Community Participation and Local Information Networks
Beat policing will be linked with public participation by strengthening Community Liaison Groups (CLGs), ‘Police Mitras' (Police Friends), and other community-based channels.
Regular dialogue between the police and the general public will be institutionalized through initiatives like ‘Know Your Beat Officer.' Special emphasis will also be given on targeted engagement with students, senior citizens, and vulnerable or sensitive sections of society.
Systems for the lawful collection, verification, and utilisation of local information will be strengthened through the use of beat books, village crime notebooks, digital beat profiles, and crime/hotspot mapping.
Vivek Shukla is a management graduate who has worked in corporate worked for 20 years and is now pursuing his passion — news.
