British Police System in India

Pre-1857: British Colonial Influence on Police System in India #

Before 1857, the police system in India was vastly different from the organized and centralized system that exists today. During the early stages of British colonial rule, the existing policing methods were gradually adapted and modified by the British East India Company. The British authorities sought to establish a system that would serve their interests in maintaining control and collecting revenue rather than ensuring justice or protecting the local population.

Evolution of Police System in India: Colonial Influence on India’s Law Enforcement #

• In its early stages, the colonial state relied on indigenous institutions to control crime. During the early period of Company rule, Warren Hastings, for example, retained the post of the Fauzdars and used the Zamindars’ policing functions.
• Finding this arrangement insufficient, he also appointed Magistrates in the districts, and each district was divided into smaller subunits, each under the command of a Darogah, who led a gang of 20-30 armed policemen and oversaw the village watchmen, who were in charge of 20-30 villages.
• The Magistrates exercised overall control over the Darogahs. Cornwallis oversaw the establishment of India’s modern police force. He created Thanas’ Daroga-led system (or circles).

Police Organization In The 1840s: Evolution of Colonial Police System in India’s Provinces #

• In the 1840s, the Police organization emerged as an autonomous colonial state organ in the North-West Frontier Province as a quasi-military instrument for maintaining order and assisting a fragile political authority.
• The Sind model, which was found to be well adapted to handling any political disturbance, was applied in Punjab when it was captured in 1849. Bombay and Madras followed in 1853 and 1859, respectively, with slight adjustments.
• Madras system: The Madras system established a military police force and a civilian unarmed force, both of which were subordinate to the civilian authority of the Collector-Magistrate in the districts.
• However, the 1857 uprising rattled the foundations of British power, increasing its awareness of the necessity for an efficient information-gathering system.

The 1860 Police Commission: Shaping India’s Provincial Police System in India #

• The Indian Police Act of 1861 was enacted in response to the Police Commission’s recommendations (1860).
• The commission established a civil police force that included a superintendent in charge of each district, a deputy inspector-general in charge of each range, and an inspector-general in charge of each province.
• The police gradually reduced crimes such as dacoity and thuggee.
• The British did not establish a national police force in India. The Police Act of 1861 established a provincial police force.

Conclusion #

Overall, the police system in India before 1857 was characterized by a decentralized and fragmented structure. It relied on traditional methods of law enforcement, such as chowkidars and local military forces, along with the introduction of British-controlled police forces. The primary focus of the policing practices was on maintaining order and serving the interests of the ruling authority rather than ensuring justice and protecting the rights of the general population.