Kolkata, Nov 25 (NationPress) The West Bengal Police has initiated a training program for civic volunteers throughout the state, focusing on appropriate public conduct.

According to sources within the West Bengal Police, the training emphasizes on essential protocols, particularly on behaviors to avoid while assisting law enforcement officers.

Training sessions have commenced at four locations in Barrackpore, located in the North 24 Parganas district, for civic volunteers affiliated with various police districts and commissionerates, including Howrah, North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, and South 24 Parganas.

For volunteers in Nadia and Murshidabad, training will take place at the 9th Battalion of the Armed Police in Krishnanagar.

Civic volunteers from Malda, South Dinajpur, Raiganj, and Islampur will receive training in Raiganj, North Dinajpur.

In the Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar districts, training is scheduled at the 12th battalion in Jalpaiguri.

Those under the Siliguri Commissionerate and Kalimpong district police will train in Dabgram.

Civic volunteers from Darjeeling will partake in training at the second battalion of the RAF in Siliguri.

Civic volunteers, also referred to as village police volunteers, are contractual workers who support the West Bengal Police, mainly in traffic management and other minor duties. They are sourced from local communities and are not regular police personnel.

Over the years, civic volunteers have faced criticism for alleged recruitment lapses, misconduct, and even involvement in criminal activities.

To mitigate further misconduct, especially ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the state police has decided to conduct this training initiative.

This training spans five days.

The ADG (Training) of the state police has communicated the training details to Superintendents of Police and Police Commissioners across all districts.

The message specifies the number of civic officers from each district or commissionerate designated for training.

In total, over 8,000 civic officers will be trained during this phase, from north to south Bengal.

Currently, civic volunteers under the Kolkata Police are excluded from this training.

Alongside physical training, participants will primarily receive lessons in legal protocols.

They will learn proper conduct when interacting with the public and how to behave in front of senior police officials.

Sources indicate that it is being reiterated that under no circumstances should ordinary citizens, pedestrians, or drivers be mistreated.

Historically, such training was provided sporadically at certain police stations; however, a comprehensive statewide initiative had not been undertaken until now.