Bengaluru Police End Jurisdiction Delays, Order Immediate Response To All 112 Emergency Calls

Bengaluru: In a major reform aimed at improving emergency response, Bengaluru Police have directed all personnel to attend incidents reported through the 112 emergency helpline without refusing assistance on the grounds of police station jurisdiction.

The new directive comes in response to repeated complaints from the public that police personnel often delayed responding to emergencies by asking callers to approach another police station, claiming that the incident did not fall within their territorial limits. The practice had drawn widespread criticism and caused inconvenience during emergencies.

Senior police officers have now instructed all field personnel that saving lives and providing immediate assistance to victims must take precedence over jurisdictional formalities. Under the revised protocol, the nearest available police unit must rush to the spot as soon as a 112 emergency call is received, irrespective of the police station limits.

Officials said questions relating to territorial jurisdiction can be resolved later, but emergency response should never be delayed. The primary objective is to ensure that people in distress receive timely police assistance.

Police data indicates that the 112 emergency response system has played a significant role in public safety over the past six months. During this period, nearly 700 missing persons were traced safely and reunited with their families. The emergency response teams also prevented around 60 people from taking their own lives through timely intervention.

In addition, the 112 system helped rescue 181 senior citizens and 211 children from various emergencies while assisting in preventing incidents related to human trafficking and other serious crimes.

To make the emergency helpline more accessible, the police have enabled communication in 12 languages, allowing callers from diverse linguistic backgrounds to seek assistance without difficulty.

Officials said the department is working towards maintaining an average response time of 6.5 minutes for emergency calls. To achieve this, Bengaluru Police have deployed 65 modern "Cheetah" motorcycles capable of navigating the city's congested roads and narrow lanes to reach incident spots quickly.

The police have warned that strict disciplinary and legal action will be initiated against any personnel who fail to respond promptly to emergency calls or attempt to avoid duty by citing jurisdictional issues.

Senior officers have reiterated that public safety remains the department's highest priority and instructed all police stations to treat every emergency call with utmost seriousness and respond without delay.