Evolution of the Police System in Modern India
Modern History › Administrative and Judicial Developments Under British Rule · Topic 26.4
Before British rule there was no formal police: watchmen guarded villages, faujdars, amils and kotwals kept order under the Mughals, and zamindars did police duty. Warren Hastings restored faujdars in 1774, Cornwallis created a regular force under darogas and superintendents in 1791, and the Indian Police Act of 1861, following the Police Commission of 1860, set up a provincial constabulary under inspectors-general. No All-India Police was created, and the police were used against the national movement.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Administrative and Judicial Developments Under British Rule
At a Glance
- Cornwallis 1791; thanas under darogas; SP at district head
- Police Commission 1860; led to the Indian Police Act of 1861
- Structure Inspector-general (province), DIG (range), SP (district)
- 1902 Commission recommended CID in provinces and a Central Intelligence Bureau
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Administrative and Judicial Developments Under British Rule
Where Does It Fit?
This is the fourth topic of the category on administrative and judicial developments under British rule. The previous topic covered the Indianisation of the civil services. This topic covers the evolution of the police. The next topic covers the military under the British. Previous topic: Montford Reforms, Lee Commission and Evaluation of the Civil Services.
What Was the Police System Before the British?
In pre-colonial India governments under the Mughals and other native states were autocratic and lacked a separate or formal police system. There had been watch guards protecting villages at night since time immemorial. Under the Mughals the faujdars helped maintain law and order, the amils were basically revenue collectors who had to deal with rebels, and the kotwal was responsible for law and order in the cities. During the dual rule in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa between 1765 and 1772, zamindars were expected to maintain staff, including thanedars, for law and order, but often neglected their duties and are even said to have colluded with dacoits and shared the loot.
What Did Hastings and Cornwallis Do?
In 1770 the institution of faujdars and amils was abolished. In 1774 Warren Hastings restored the faujdars and asked the zamindars to help them in suppressing dacoits, violence and disorder. In 1775 faujdar thanas were established in the major towns of large districts, helped by several smaller police stations.
In 1791 Cornwallis organised a regular police force, going back to and modernising the old Indian system of thanas, or circles, in a district under a daroga, an Indian, with a superintendent of police (SP) at the head of the district. He relieved the zamindars of police duties. His civil reforms are in Evolution of the Civil Services: Cornwallis to the Charter Act of 1853.
What Happened Between 1808 and 1860?
| Year | Development |
|---|---|
| 1808 | Mayo appointed an SP for each division, helped by spies called goyendas, who committed depredations on local people |
| 1814 | The Court of Directors abolished the appointment of darogas and their subordinates in all Company possessions except Bengal |
| 1828-35 | Bentinck abolished the office of SP; the collector-magistrate was to head the police in his jurisdiction and the commissioner in each division was to act as SP. This produced a badly organised police and burdened the collector-magistrate; presidency towns were the first to separate the duties |
| 1860 | The Police Commission recommended a civil constabulary, keeping the village watchman maintained by the village but linking him with the rest of the constabulary, with an inspector-general as head in a province, a deputy inspector-general in a range and an SP in a district |
What Did the Indian Police Act of 1861 Do?
The recommendations of the 1860 Police Commission led to the Indian Police Act of 1861. The police gradually succeeded in curbing criminal acts such as dacoity and thugee, but in dealing with the public they were unsympathetic, and they were also used to suppress the national movement. The British did not create an All-India Police: the Act of 1861 gave guidelines for a police set-up in the provinces, and ranks were introduced uniformly across the country.
In 1902 a Police Commission recommended setting up the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the provinces and a Central Intelligence Bureau at the Centre. As an analytical point, the police system was built primarily to keep order and protect the revenue and the state, and it gradually moved from local, zamindar-based policing to a centralised provincial force with a chain of command, which is why it became an instrument against political movements as well as against crime. The army, the other instrument of control, is in The Military Under the British, and the judicial side in Judicial Reforms Under Warren Hastings.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Cornwallis’s police Thana and daroga system are Prelims facts
- Police Act of 1861 A key law that shaped Indian policing
- Political use Police and the national movement
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the military under the British. Next topic: The Military Under the British.
Key People and Terms
- Faujdar Mughal officer who maintained order
- Daroga Indian head of a thana
- Thana A police circle
- Goyendas Spies used under Mayo’s scheme
- Indian Police Act 1861 The Act creating provincial police forces
- CID Criminal Investigation Department
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Hastings restored faujdars in 1774; Cornwallis’s police in 1791.
- Bentinck made the collector-magistrate head of the police.
- Police Commission 1860 led to the Police Act 1861.
- Hierarchy: IG, DIG, SP.
- 1902: CID and a Central Intelligence Bureau recommended.
Do Not Confuse With
- Cornwallis’s and Bentinck’s arrangements Cornwallis: SP and darogas; Bentinck abolished the SP
- Police Act 1861 and an All-India Police The Act set up provincial forces; no All-India Police was created
- Faujdar and daroga Mughal officer versus head of a thana
Memory Hook
Faujdar, daroga, SP, IG: the police grew from village watch to provincial force, and served the state.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about the evolution and role of the police. These points add depth.
- Stages Faujdars, Cornwallis, Bentinck and 1861
- Structure Provincial hierarchy
- Role Crime control and suppression of the movement
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Trace the evolution of the police system under British rule and comment on its role.”
How to Answer
- Before the British Faujdars and zamindars.
- Reforms Hastings, Cornwallis and Bentinck.
- 1861 The Act and structure.
- Conclude Role against the national movement.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
How was law and order maintained before British rule?
Villages had watch guards, the Mughals had faujdars to maintain order, amils collected revenue and dealt with rebels, and the kotwal looked after cities. During the dual rule of 1765 to 1772 zamindars were expected to keep staff, but often neglected their duties.
What did Cornwallis do for the police?
In 1791 Cornwallis organised a regular police force by modernising the old thana system, with each thana under a daroga and a superintendent of police at the head of a district. He relieved zamindars of police duties.
What changes did Bentinck make to the police?
Bentinck abolished the office of superintendent of police and made the collector-magistrate head of the police in his area, with the commissioner of each division acting as SP. This burdened the collector-magistrate and produced a badly organised force.
What was the Indian Police Act of 1861?
Following the 1860 Police Commission, it set up a provincial police system with a civil constabulary and a hierarchy of inspector-general for a province, deputy inspector-general for a range and superintendent for a district. It did not create an All-India Police.
What did the 1902 Police Commission recommend?
The Police Commission of 1902 recommended setting up a Criminal Investigation Department in the provinces and a Central Intelligence Bureau at the Centre, which strengthened the intelligence role of the police and of the colonial state.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Cornwallis organised a regular police force with thanas under darogas in 1791.
A superintendent headed each district.
2 Bentinck abolished the office of superintendent of police.
The collector-magistrate headed the police.
3 The Indian Police Act of 1861 created an All-India Police.
It set up provincial police forces.
4 The Police Commission of 1860 led to the Indian Police Act of 1861.
It recommended a civil constabulary.
5 The 1902 Police Commission recommended setting up the CID.
It also recommended a Central Intelligence Bureau.
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