A bill to effect comprehensive reforms in Delhi Police is expected to be placed in the Budget Session of Parliament which will also set the tone for changes in the internal setup including recruitment and modernisation of police forces across the country.

Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai today said police reforms in the country will gather momentum with the introduction of the ‘Draft Delhi Police Bill, 2010’ in Parliament which has been prepared after consultation with various stakeholders.

“We hope to correct this (the pace of police reforms) by bringing about a model Delhi Police (bill) which we hope could be a model for all states to follow”.

“Since Delhi has not followed it and in one sense the Ministry of Home Affairs has not given leadership to this, I think many states do not have a model to follow. The Delhi Police (Draft) Bill is currently on the website of the Ministry (of Home Affairs),” Pillai said.

He was speaking to serving and retired police officers and researchers in policing subjects during the Investiture ceremony of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) in New Delhi.

“We had extensive and wide ranging consultations with not just the police forces but with NGOs and various other civil society groups. We hope to be able to present the Delhi Police Bill in Parliament in the Budget session and I think this Bill itself would set the tone for police reforms in the states”.

“Because if Delhi can do it, then I think all other states can also do it. The will power has to be shown from Delhi itself,” he said.

Pillai also urged researchers and innovators to take up good initiatives for development in police related subjects as he voiced his concern that posting in such government agencies is considered a “punishment posting” by police officials.

“People do not want to come here. It is not a prize posting,” he said.

BPRD is the national agency undertaking research for modernisation of police forces and enhancing capacity and capability of police officials and their equipment.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of state for Home Ajay Maken said it is time to “think big” on developing the competency of Indian police forces at a time when terrorists across the world are changing their modus operandi.

“We need to think big and plan to develop competencies of Indian police matching world standards. Modus operandi of terrorists all over the world has changed and there is a need to suitably alter our training curriculum,” he said.

Maken said the BPRD should take up research in “emerging issues” like cyber crime, post-blast probe, crime perpetrated by international terrorist organisations, fidayeen attacks and handling hostile crowd with less lethal weapons.

He also urged BPRD to focus its attention towards “less researched areas” of transport both mechanised and animal, police buildings in border posts, women specific buildings and for troop deployments at high altitudes.