The West Bengal Police was organized under the Police Act 1861 during the British Raj. It is led by the Director General of Police who reports to the State Government through the Home (Police) Department. Shri P Narajnayan, an IPS officer has held the position of Director General since March 8, 2021.
The West Bengal Police has joint authority with the twenty two revenue districts of the State as under the Police Act 1861. The other general police district consists of the major portions of the metropolitan area of Kolkata, and has a separate police force (Kolkata Police) administered under the Calcutta Police Act 1866 & Calcutta (Suburban Police) Act 1866. This type of administration, only used in India, was created during colonial times when Calcutta was the capital of British India. The city police have been kept independent of the state police force since that time.
