Opinion: Why Telangana leads in policing–100 helpline, focus on cybercrime and public trust

Hyderabad: A strong and effective police system is fundamental to the rule of law in a democracy. Police is a visible arm of the government and plays a vital role in the protection of lives, property and the maintenance of law and order in the country.

India Justice Report-2025

Tata Trust released the India Justice Report on April 15, and it is a first-of-its-kind national periodic ranking of the capacity of States to deliver justice. It takes into account more than 30 performance indicators to assess the capacity to deliver the justice system through the filters of human resources, infrastructure, budgets, workload and diversity; police, prisons, judiciary and legal aid are its core pillars (core areas).

The comprehensive report, based on information from 2019 to 2024, was developed in collaboration with the Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, TISS (Tata Institute of Social Science) and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

Telangana State is 1st in police performance

Telangana secured the top position in the police category of the India Justice Report (IJR) 2025, among large and mid-sized States. The State achieved a score of 6.48 out of 10, followed by Andhra Pradesh (6.44) and Karnataka (6.19), which ranked second and third, respectively.

Telangana’s top ranking reflects its consistent efforts in enhancing policing effectiveness and ensuring public safety. These achievements underscore Telangana Police's commitment to proactive, citizen-oriented policing and their role in setting national benchmarks in law enforcement.

In the overall ranking process, the country was divided into two clusters/groups: Category-I, 18 large and mid-sized States with a population of above 10 million, Category-II has seven small-sized States with a population of up to 10 million.

In Category-I, among large and mid-sized States, Telangana stood first with 6.48 points, Andhra Pradesh scored 6.44 points, with second place went to Karnataka, which scored 6.19 points. The third place went to West Bengal (3.36 points), which slipped to the bottom.

In Category-II, among small-sized States, Sikkim was the best performer with 6.10 points, while Goa was the laggard with 3.38 points. Telangana improved its overall ranking from 11th in 2019 to 4th in 2020 and remained in the 1st position in 2025.

The Telangana Police have been recognised as the top-performing police force in India, as per the India Justice Report 2025. This achievement reflects their consistent efforts in enhancing policing standards across the State. Key factors contributing to Telangana’s high performance include visible policing, quick response through the 100 helpline, effective crime detection, increased conviction rates in POCSO cases, focus on personnel behaviour, cybercrime detection and a zero-tolerance approach to drugs.

Key factors behind Telangana Police’s top ranking:

1. India Justice Report 2025 recognition: Telangana secured the first position among 18 large and mid-sized States, with a score of 6.48 out of 10. The evaluation considered parameters such as training budgets, infrastructure, personnel vacancies, and representation of women in the force.

2. Infrastructure and Staffing: The State boasts a high number of police stations, with one urban station for every 10.6 sq km and one rural station for every 282 sq km. Telangana maintains a low constable vacancy rate of 13 per cent, significantly below the national average. In 2023, 547 sub-inspectors (SI) and 12,338 constables were recruited to strengthen the police force in the State.

3. Technological Advancements: Approximately 85 per cent of police stations are equipped with women’s assistance desks and CCTV cameras, enhancing transparency and safety.

4. Community Engagement Initiatives: The Cyber awareness program trains public school students as ‘cyber ambassadors’ to combat cybercrimes and promote digital safety awareness.

5. Recognition of Excellence: The Shalibanda Police Station in Hyderabad was ranked the 8th best police station in India by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2024. The Rajendranagar Police Station was awarded the ‘Best Police Station’ in India for 2023 by the Ministry of Home Affairs, standing out among 17,000 entries.

6. Commitment: All the police personnel, with their dedication to maintaining law and order, curbing crime and ensuring justice, have strengthened public trust and are among the key factors behind Telangana's top ranking in the country.

Extensive use of technology to uphold law, deliver justice

Telangana police extensively use technology to meet the expectations of police and people to provide law and order and justice. State police often express admiration as one of the best police forces in India due to the implementation of several novel initiatives like Hawk Eye App, Facial recognition System, Command Control, quick response time through Dial 100 and patrolling system, etc.

It has been proven that the ascent of Telangana Police from third place in the previous year to first place in this year 2025 reflects the consistent efforts and dedication of the department in delivering effective policing and ensuring public safety.

(The author of the article is Director General of Police, Dr Jitender)