Kolkata’s South West Police Division, commonly known as the Behala division, is set to get a dedicated DCP office, police barracks and a relocated traffic guard at the S N Roy Road–James Long Sarani crossing, bringing senior policing and complaint services closer to residents across six police station areas.
The division covers Behala, Taratala, Parnasree, Sarsuna, Thakurpukur and Haridevpur police stations. The new office is being developed after construction, which began in 2023, was halted for multiple reasons before work resumed, according to sources at Lalbazar, Kolkata Police headquarters.
Police floated tenders on Thursday for eight CCTV cameras to be installed at the office. The tender process for furniture has been completed, and officials are aiming to inaugurate the facility between Diwali and Christmas, the sources said. The timeline remains dependent on completion of the remaining work.
The new DCP office will replace the current arrangement under which residents from Behala have to travel to Tollygunge to meet the divisional police chief. The Behala division technically falls under the South Suburban division, making the location of its senior administrative office a longstanding issue for residents and police personnel.
“It is only natural that the DCP office should be located at a central spot in Behala,” a police officer was quoted as saying. Saptak Mukhopadhyay, a resident of Sarsuna, said it had remained difficult for residents to travel to Tollygunge to meet the area DCP even after the division had been established.
The divisional cyber cell is also expected to shift to the new premises once construction is complete. Police said this would allow residents to lodge cybercrime complaints more quickly within the division rather than travelling to a distant office. The facility will also include new barracks intended to keep additional police forces closer to the areas they serve.
Construction of a new James Long Sarani Traffic Guard office is at an advanced stage, according to Lalbazar sources. The traffic guard is expected to move from the Taratala crossing to the new location. The relocation will place the traffic unit alongside the divisional police administration and barracks.
The planned facility is part of a broader effort by Kolkata Police to reorganise resources in the city’s southern fringes, where officials say population density is higher than in several other parts of south Kolkata. Another DCP office, serving the South Suburban or Jadavpur area, has already shifted from Tollygunge to Moore Avenue.
Police are also considering the bifurcation of Haridevpur Police Station. A police source said proposals were additionally being examined for a Rajdanga police station through the bifurcation of Kasba Police Station and for a Barisha police station. No final implementation timeline for these proposals was provided.
Officials said the objective of the administrative changes was to position senior officers and additional personnel closer to incident locations. Police also cited the need for smaller units and a stronger local presence in southern fringe areas, where many people from outside the city come to live. The Behala DCP office and associated facilities are expected to move forward after the ongoing construction, CCTV and furnishing work is completed.
