Even as their counterparts in Delhi celebrate the allocation of over Rs 1,000 crore in this year’s Union Budget, the West Bengal Police are keenly waiting for the state’s share of police modernisation fund.

Across all the ranks, police officers in Bengal say the thrust should be on investing in development of infrastructure and equipment, especially in the light of the Lalgarh operation, where for the first time the state police was put on a counter-insurgency test.

Director-General of Police Bhupinder Singh, who took charge a little over a week ago, said that focus should be on training.

“It’s not clear how much we will be getting for modernisation as of now. While we do have specialised forces to tackle different situations, more specific training has to be imparted,” Singh said and added, “More specialised forces have to be formed. Specialised weapons used for counter-insurgency operations also need to be inducted.”

The DGP also said that the police require more equipment for bomb disposal and mine detection.

“We cannot compare our infrastructure with other states, as equipment and upgrades depend on the ground situation specific to us. Wireless systems and communication equipment need to be upgraded,” he added.

Singh also stressed on the importance of upgrading the intelligence-gathering apparatus of the police. In Lalgarh, the police had to cope up with the intelligence deficiency. More personnel have to be trained in intelligence gathering and technical intelligence needs to be strengthened through procuring specific equipment, he said.

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