Punjab Police (India)

After Independence of India, Punjab police was responsible for the protection of Indo-Pak as well as Indo-Chinese border before BSF and ITBP were raised.[6]

Punjab to be the first state of India to have Rapid Rural Police Response System which provides City PCR-like response service in rural areas.[7] As Punjab Police adopted Computer-Aided-Dispatch (CAD) system for Dial 100 system, 289 four-wheelers and 724 GPS fitted motorcycles are being used.[8][9]

Punjab Police have global positioning system (GPS) tracker and vehicle registration search device equipped highway patrol vehicles.[10]

Crime Investigation Agency or CIA staff is a special branch of Punjab Police. The crucial or unsolved criminal cases like smuggling, kidnapping, narcotics, terrorism, murder, etc. are handed over to them. This branch of police is known for its ways to interrogate the culprit who committed the crime.

Punjab is first state in the country to launch Night policing scheme with independent cadre, command and structure of 4,000 strong police force[11] for prevention of offences at night time.[12]

Punjab Bureau of Investigation was setup in 2019 with 4521 dedicated new posts.[13][14][15] Punjab is the first State of India that have formed Bureau of Investigation and separated law & order duties from investigation functions by bringing all investigation staff of 7,772 under a unified wing command.[16][17] The Bureau of Investigation would conduct investigation into civil and criminal cases registered at various police stations[18] and is equipped with:

• mobile forensic evidence collection units
• regional forensic science labs
• modern cyber crime unit
• modern interview rooms
• modern women police stations in all districts[19]

Police Recruits Training Centre

Police Recruits Training Centre (PRTC) is located at Jahan Khelan, which is about 10  km from Hoshiarpur on the Una road. PRTC Jahan Khelan is headed by a Commandant. This is a subsidiary training centre of the Punjab Police Academy. It caters to the teaching and training needs of the newly recruited police constables and also organizes several other courses. It is the oldest and premier police training centre of Northern area and is functioning in this campus since November 1947 after shifting from fort Gobindgarh, Amritsar.

Commando training centre

Punjab Police has a commando training centre at Fort Bahadurgarh in Patiala.[20]

• Punjab Armed Police
• India Reserve Battalions
• Punjab Commando Police

The headquarters of the Punjab Armed Police are located at Jalandhar while the India Reserve Battalions are stationed at Sangrur, Amritsar, Patiala, Ludhiana and Jalandhar and the Punjab Commando Police at Bahadurgarh (Patiala) and S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali).

PP was equipped with .303 rifles, .410 Muskets, and 561 Sten Guns but modernisation with advanced weapons is now taking place.[21]

Punjab Police have 3083 vehicles[3] and patrol cars like Mahindra Scorpio Getaways[22][23] and Maruti Gypsys.[24] PP also have motorcycles equipped with GPS and Multi Utility Vehicles equipped with GPS and CCTV cameras.[25]

Punjab Police have a dedicated cybercrime cell to deal with cybercrime in the state headed by IG ranked police officer having office in Phase 4, S.A.S Nagar.

Punjab Police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) was formed in 2010.[26][27] They are usually tasked with protection duties.[28] They are highly trained on the lines of National Security Guard by Israel's Mossad[29] through private company Athena Security, deployed by the Punjab Government.[30] All the commandos are under 28 years of age, thus making them fit and capable of tasks meant for commandos. Their main work is to fight against any terrorist attack if it occurs in Punjab State. They have been trained exclusively in Krav Maga, room intervention, close and open techniques and other secret tactics.[31]

The SWAT is provided with various state-of-art equipment and the latest technology.[32] The teams are provided with:

• Bullet-proof transport
• Lightweight bullet-proof jackets and helmets
• Hands-free radio sets
• Complete anti-trauma bodysuit with level-2 protection
• Riot control helmet
• Gas masks
• Shock shields
• Laser guns
• Gas guns and
• Pepper gun launcher

Weapons

• Glock 17 pistol
• Brugger & Thomet MP9 sub machine gun
• Heckler & Koch MP5 sub machine gun
• MTAR 21 X95 assault rifle
• SIG 552 assault rifle
• AK-47 assault rifle
• Steyr SSG 69
• CornerShot
• Night vision device

Every year, 21 October is celebrated as Commemoration Day by Punjab Police.[37]

Officers

• Director General of Police (DGP)
• Additional Director General of Police
• Inspector General of Police (IGP)
• Deputy Inspector General of Police
• Senior Superintendent of Police
• Superintendent of Police (SP)
• Additional Superintendent of Police
• Assistant SP (IPS) or Deputy SP (PPS)

Sub-ordinates

• Inspector of Police
• Sub-Inspector of Police (SI)
• Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI)
• Head Constable
• Senior Constable
• Constable

Following is the list of all the major IPS Officeholders in Punjab Police.

[39]

Punjab police has been frequently portrayed in films. Some of the prominent ones are listed below:

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India praised Punjab Police saying,[37]

I know the difficulties and disaster which overtook the Punjab Police during the period of partition. Your force was depleted terribly and quickly you had to begin from a scratch. After such a partition and the period of communal disturbances a parallel of which is not known, you had to face great difficulties and you have in fact performed a miracle in reorganizing your force in such a short time and in such a splendid manner

• Law enforcement in India

Punjab Police Act, 2007

• Official website
• Official Twitter Handle