West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday, 3 July 2025, directed top officials of both West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police to submit accurate crime records to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), formally ending what he described as a long-standing practice of data underreporting under the previous government. The directive was issued at a high-level meeting held at the state secretariat, Nabanna.

The Underreporting Charge

Addressing media after the meeting, Adhikari launched a pointed critique of the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime, alleging that the previous administration had systematically withheld accurate crime statistics — particularly data on crimes against women and children — from the Union Home Ministry's data-collection arm, the NCRB.

'There is no need to hide any complaint. Register it and file an FIR where necessary. The previous government did not send the accurate data that the department under the Union Home Ministry sought from the state government on various crimes, especially complaints related to crime against women and children. But henceforth, there will be no more understating of crime records data. We will have to understand what kind of disease is prevalent in our state and arrange for proper remedy. If we hide that disease, its impact will rise,' Adhikari said.

Response Time Overhaul: Six-Minute Target

Beyond data accuracy, the Chief Minister set an ambitious emergency-response benchmark for the state's police force. He directed the state Director General of Police to launch the 112 emergency service — already operational in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, where average police response time is reportedly six minutes.

'In West Bengal, that same average time is three hours. More vehicles will be provided to the police in the next budget. If in other states, the police could reach the spot of the incident in six minutes, our target is five minutes. That should be our goal,' Adhikari said. Officials at the meeting were also directed to grant on-the-spot decision-making authority to field personnel during incidents.

Cybercrime Helpdesks at Every Police Station

Adhikari announced a state-wide rollout of dedicated cybercrime helpdesks at every police station in West Bengal, supplementing the existing network of specialised cyber police stations. The move comes amid what the Chief Minister called an 'alarming' rise in digital fraud, including cases where beneficiaries of government social schemes have had small allowance amounts drained from their accounts within seconds.

'Cyber fraud has reached an alarming stage now. Even those who have filled out forms for social projects are becoming victims of cybercrime. Even small allowance amounts from their accounts disappear in a few seconds. Marginalised people are also victims of fraud. A cyber-help desk will be launched in collaboration with the Government of India and the state governments to assist those who have been cheated,' he announced.

Significance and Context

The NCRB publishes annual crime statistics that inform national policy, judicial oversight, and public safety assessments. Allegations of state-level data manipulation have surfaced periodically across India, but a sitting Chief Minister publicly acknowledging and directing a course correction is relatively uncommon. This comes amid a broader political transition in West Bengal, with Adhikari's administration seeking to differentiate itself sharply from the preceding TMC dispensation on law-and-order governance. The three-hour average response time figure, if accurate, places West Bengal significantly behind the national norm — a gap that the 112 rollout and additional fleet procurement are intended to close.