Police's law & order duties separated from probe function in Punjab

Punjab on Wednesday became the first state in the country to separate investigation functions from law and order duties, with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal launching the initiative by establishing a Bureau of Investigation (BoI) to bring all investigation staff in different units under a unified command.

Badal said the new wing would be responsible for investigations right from the police station to the district and even the headquarters. “Separate staff have been earmarked for investigations at all three levels," he said. adding the new wing would ensure time-bound investigations. He said this staff would not be deployed for any other purpose.

Badal disclosed that the BoI would initially have 7,772 personnel. He said the investigation staff at the police station level would comprise of investigation units, pairvi units and women staff and would work under in-charge of investigation.

Director General of Police Sumedh Singh Saini said the district and commissionerate level wings would comprise CIA staff, Economic Offence Wing, Crime Against Women, police station, District Crime Records Bureau and district legal support unit. It will be headed by superintendent of police or additional deputy commissioner of police, investigation. He said similarly at the state headquarters, the new wing would comprise BoI headquarters (earlier crime wing), zonal offices, state cyber crime police station, state crime branch police station, EOW and SCRB.

Saini said the new wing would also be equipped with mobile forensic evidence collection units, regional FSLs, modern cyber crime unit, modern interview rooms, as well as modern women police stations, in all districts. He said these measures would result in this wing becoming a specialised wing of the Punjab Police.