Urban Bengaluru sees ‘rural’ stations struggling

The number of personnel can’t do justice to their vast jurisdiction.

As the city grows at a rapid pace, it becomes obvious that policing has yet to catch up.

The ‘rural’ stations – formed when the city remained within the peripheries of the Outer Ring Road – now encompass large industrial and residential areas.

Take for instance, Hebbagodi. The once-far flung village, where paddy fields and farms catered to the needs of south Bengaluru barely a decade ago, now plays host to towering apartment complexes and manufacturing industries. However, barely 35 personnel – or half that in neighbouring Electronics City – are posted in the area.

A policeman there says, “We are considered a rural station, but we can probably count the agriculture fields in the area on one hand. The increase in accidents on Hosur Road have made things difficult to manage.”

The story is the same in stations whose jurisdictions knock at the doors of the city. Avalahalli in the East, Madanayakahalli in the North, Kumbalgodu in the South have seen green pastures turn into concrete, housing a large number of people, and associated crimes.

The recently-released 2011 census shows the decadal population growth in these regions as between 20 and 30 per cent. The number of cases registered annually in these stations range from 300 to 700.

“The department is aware of the challenges in these areas that can be considered a part of Bengaluru, but not in the commissionerate. There are proposals to augment the staff strength in these places, as well as upgrade the Sub-Inspector post (who heads rural stations) to Inspector posts, which will see experienced officers at the helm,” said Alok Mohan, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order).

The past two years have seen 30 new stations sanctioned each year in the State and he believes that further division of these rural stations close to Bengaluru will happen gradually. “The quality of policing in these areas is bound to improve,” he said.