A comprehensive plan for meaningful participation of the public in policing in Guwahati City was drawn up and implemented in a successful manner when Shri Kuladhar Saikia, IPS, the then Superintendent of Police, Guwahati City convened a meeting of Police-Public co-operation on 03/07/96 at Police Control Room where he declared formation of the first Nagarik Committee under the Panbazar Police Station. In subsequent such meetings in that year in different police stations in the City more numbers of Nagarik Committees came into existence to provide a platform for peoples’ participation in policing their localities by adopting the strategy of ‘Watch Thy neighbourhood’. The active cooperations by these committees led to prevention of crimes against property and apprehension of notorious gangs of dacoits. In 1999, a booklet containing formal guidelines was compiled by B.J. Mahanta, IPS, the then SP of Guwahati City which gave an impetus to the committees. As per the structure of Nagarik Committees each municipality ward of Guwahati City has one committee with several sub-committees to take care of the problems of the specific areas of the wards. The president and the other members numbering about 10 are to be selected by consensus and are to have respectable reputation in the society with no criminal record whatsoever. The Officer-in-charge of the Police Station is the ex-officio Secretary of the committee and he has to attend the monthly meeting of the committee. The Dy. S.P of the Division is required to sit with the committees at least once in two months. The Superintendent of Police is the President of Co-ordination committee of the Nagarik Committees and he sits once in three months with representative of all committees. In the monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly meetings the civic and crime related problems in specific areas are discussed and ways and means of solving them are decided. Responsibility of preventive duties to specific committees are also fixed during such meetings.
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