Punjab Police : The ‘Internal Police Reforms’ project, initiated by the Indian Police Foundation across four states—Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, and Punjab—was officially launched with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the IPF and Punjab Police. The event took place at the Punjab Police Headquarters in the presence of DGP Punjab, Mr. Gaurav Yadav, IPS, Dr. Ish Kumar, IPS (Retd.), Vice-President IPF and Project Director, Mr. A.S. Rai, IPS, ADGP/Traffic and Road Safety –cum- State Nodal Officer, and Mr. G.S. Sandhu, IPS (Retd.), the State Supervisor for the project.
During a press conference at the Police Line auditorium, ADGP/Traffic and Road Safety –cum- State Nodal Officer, Mr. A.S. Rai, stated that the MoU would facilitate collaboration between Punjab Police and IPF to introduce citizen-centric improvements in policing. The project aims to identify challenges faced by common citizens during their interactions with the police and implement necessary reforms to make civil policing more efficient and people-friendly.
Initially, the IPF will focus on enhancing the operations of 30 police stations across four districts—SAS Nagar, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Khanna. In Rupnagar, the selected police stations include City Rupnagar, Sadar Rupnagar, Singh Bhagwantpur, City Morinda, Sadar Morinda, Chamkaur Sahib, Anandpur Sahib, Nurpur Bedi, and Nangal. The project’s scope will gradually expand to cover other districts in a phased approach.
As part of the initiative, the IPF research team will conduct public consultations at police stations in Rupnagar from March 25 to April 2, 2025. These meetings will engage various stakeholders, including complainants, victims, witnesses, convicts, under-trials, frontline police personnel, and traffic violators, to assess the challenges in law enforcement services.
Dr. Ish Kumar, IPS (Retd.), explained that the IPF team would analyze feedback from stakeholders, identify key problem areas, develop a reform manual, and provide training to police station staff based on the findings. The impact of these changes on the public will be assessed, and recommendations will be proposed for long-term implementation through standing orders, circulars, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
He assured that Punjab Police would extend full support by providing manpower, logistical assistance, data access, and coordination to maximize the project’s effectiveness. Dr. Ish Kumar also emphasized that the research-driven reforms would significantly benefit the people of Punjab and enhance the reputation of Punjab Police.
On the same day, the IPF team, led by Dr. Ish Kumar and Mr. A.S. Rai, held a meeting with officers, including SHOs from Rupnagar district. The meeting was attended by SSP Rupnagar G.S. Khurana, IPS, and other senior police officials to discuss the project’s implementation and objectives.