District Policing
Assigned to the capital city, Kiran quickly rose through the police ranks. In 1978, she won national acclaim — as well as a presidential award — by single-handedly driving off a band of club-and-sword-wielding demonstrators. For the full story, click here.
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| Handling the Akali demonstration single-handedly | Receiving the President's Gallantry award |
Kiran’s assignments in Delhi’s west and north districts enhanced her reputation for engaging in innovative, community-based police work. Kiran instituted numerous changes, leading to lower crime rates, more citizen involvement in police work, and increased reform houses, and an emphasis of reform and rehabilitation instead of punishment.
Perhaps more importantly, Kiran extended police protection to cover groups that had historically been marginalized and overlooked by law enforcement, including women, children, slum-dwellers, and the rural poor. Kiran established blue and white “beat boxes” (i.e., small police stations), where citizens could find and consult police offers. She arranged for community loans and assistance, which encouraged bootleggers to give up their illegal businesses and undertake honest livelihoods. Having observed the connection between drug addiction and criminal behavior, Kiran set up community-supported detoxification programs, which she would later develop for wider application at the Narcotics Control Bureau. In addition, Kiran established women’s peace committees to promote neighborhood harmony.
As ordinary Indians became more involved in their communities and more knowledgeable about local solutions, crimes rate fell and the streets became safer.
These changes demonstrate Kiran’s open-mindedness and willing to experiment with new models of law enforcement and crime prevention. They also demonstrate Kiran to be a police reformer and a friend of the people. These years are the precursor of Kiran’s prison reforms, which came many years later.
