Kerala’s new Congress-led government has initiated sweeping reforms in the police department, with Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala ordering a major overhaul of the force. The first significant change is the dismantling of the Station House Officer (SHO) system introduced by the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government, which had placed Circle Inspectors directly in charge of police stations.

Under the new policy, only stations registering over 3,000 FIRs annually will retain Inspectors as SHOs. Smaller stations with fewer than 1,000 FIRs will be handed back to Sub-Inspectors, restoring the traditional circle system where one Inspector oversees two stations. This decentralization aims to make police stations more accessible to the public and improve efficiency.

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The reforms also include redeploying freed-up Circle Inspectors to specialized units like cybercrime divisions and POCSO wings, which have been understaffed despite rising cases. Additionally, Chennithala has ordered a crackdown on drug mafia, loan sharks, and goonda elements, with 20 special action plans prepared under the DGP’s leadership. The government aims to restore public trust and neutrality in the police force, which had faced criticism for political bias during the previous regime.