Commissionerate system of policing
Also called: Police commissionerate · Topic: Justice Delivery: Subordinate Courts, Tribunals, Legal Aid and Judicial Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The commissionerate system is a way of running the police in big cities. A Commissioner of Police heads the city's force. The Commissioner also holds magisterial powers, such as the power to issue prohibitory orders. Elsewhere, those powers belong to the District Magistrate (DM). In the usual district system, the police and the DM share control. Supporters say a single chain of command lets the police act faster in crowded cities. Critics worry that too much power ends up with the police.
Example
In a metropolitan city under this system, the Commissioner of Police can order a ban on large gatherings before a tense event. That kind of prohibitory order is now issued under BNSS s.163 (old CrPC s.144). In an ordinary district, the DM would issue it.
Don't confuse with
- District Magistrate system: here the DM, an executive officer, holds the magisterial powers and the Superintendent of Police leads the force. Control is shared, not held by one person.
Related concepts
- Criminal justice system
- Police
- Cognizable offence
- Non-cognizable offence
- First Information Report
- Zero FIR
- e-FIR
- Charge sheet
- Arnesh Kumar guidelines
- Police custody