Upgrade police R&D wing to think tank

The union home ministry is seeking to upscale the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D) into a professional think tank like the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), to broaden its contribution to the evolution of the police force in the country. The move is backed by the recommendation of a committee, headed by former union home secretary Madhukar Gupta, on restructuring of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The panel in its interim report said the BPR&D should come up as an “autonomous body”, like the IDSA, and may also include in its scope a “Research Institute for Border Management”. The Border Management Division of the ministry had given the suggestion on research institute to the panel. Based in the national capital, the IDSA is an autonomous, reputed institute which it says does objective research and policy-relevant studies on all aspects of defence and security. Gupta refused to share details of his suggestions when contacted by ET. “I'm afraid I will not be able to comment on the issue. We have completed our work," he said. The Internal Security-I Division of the ministry is working on the report.

ET was the first to report last February that the ministry had entrusted the Gupta-led committee to “review the organisation, structure and processes” to meet growing internal security challenges. The BPR&D was born on August 28, 1970, to give a new orientation to the Police Research and Advisory Council, which existed until then since 1966. The primary objective of the BPR&D was modernisation of police force and a speedy and systematic study of the problems the khakhi uniform faced. It had an advisory role as well. But, some police officers believe the BPR&D had failed to live up to its charter though it did work on police reforms and training. One of the reasons for this is that IPS officers do not like posting as the director-general of BPR&D because it is considered as a “punishment” assignment within the fraternity, a senior police officer said. In its interim report, the Gupta panel has also made some recommendations which the Foreigners Division is trying to execute.