Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore is going to carry out a study of beat policing in Indore to improve the current system. An escalation in the cases of beat police brutality and callousness towards civilians have been reported by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The six-month study, to understand and analyse existing practices and recommend a framework for the improvement of the system and suggestion for technology intervention for improvement in beat policing, would be led by Professor Himanshu Rai, director of the IIM.The project is part of a larger memorandum of understanding signed between the IIM and Madhya Pradesh Police to strengthen the professionalism of the parties and to contribute to the development of a better security environment and orderliness at public places through a mutual academic-practitioner collaboration system.

According to the National Police Commission, 2020-2021, although a Sound beat system is the primary building block for successful policing, in many States in India it exists only on paper. The emerging challenges the police face and the introduction of community policing programmes in several areas have led to a realisation among police forces of the need to have a proper beat system to strengthen both professional policing as well as community policing.

The study will focus on multiple issues, including allocation of Resources, usefulness and impact of the beat system, operational issues and practical implications as well as analyse the existing organization structure, assignment of personnel to beats (territory and timings), understand how the beat personnel maintains records and patrolling/routing of beat personnel and coordination with the command centre, among others.