The Pioneer investigators

A Glorious tradition that includes the very first fingerprint bureau in the world. Solving some of the most intriguing and complex cases.

Yes, the criminal investigation department of the west Bengal police has come a long way. And it continues to live up to the challenges before it. The challenges of changing times, changing crimes.

The CID celebrates its centenary on 1st April 2006. A hundred years before. It came into existence under Mr. CWC Plowen.

But its pedigree stretches further back. Though there was no separate investigative wing., the Bengal Police notched up pathbreaking methodologies in investigation, the most famous being the introduction of fingerprinting.

Ever since the enactment of Act V of 1861 streamlined the police.

system of the British Raj, there were proposals at regular intervals to form a specialised detective wing. However it was not till the Police Commission of 1902-03, which finally recommended the formation of a Criminal Investigation Department for each of the provinces that the concept was seriously examined.

It was recommended that a Criminal Investigation Department, (CID) should be constituted in each province under a Deputy Inspector General of Police for the purpose of collating and distributing information regarding organised crimes. It would also be in charge of Railway Police and the Finger Print Bureau, which was under the Secretariat Police officer. The CID would also undertake the investigation of specialised crimes that require technical expertise. Finally on 21

March 1905 the Government of India accepted the proposal of the Commission and issued instructions to start the department in every province by 1907. In Bengal the CID came into existence on 1 April 1906 under Mr CWC Plowden.

Initially the CID of Bengal province was sanctioned, apart from the DIG, 19 Inspectors, 17 Sub-Inspectors. 4 Head Constables and 27 Constables. The first headquarters of the CID was at 41 Park Street in Calcutta.

In the initial years, there was a lot of overlapping in the functions of the CID with the Special Branch of Calcutta Police till they were rationalised in 1911. However the State Intelligence Branch and CID maintained close relations till the former was totally separated in 1965.