A month after the Kerala Police reinstated the post of Circle Inspector (CI) to oversee crucial investigations, officers across the state are grappling with a severe lack of basic resources. From missing desks and a lack of dedicated office rooms to a shortage of official vehicles, the transition has been marred by poor planning, leaving many senior officers stranded in administrative limbo.

Currently, if a police station happens to have a spare room, it is hastily converted into a CI's office. In stations where space is at a premium, newly appointed CIs are forced to hunt for any available corner or share desks with junior officers. Despite being assigned official email accounts to manage complaints, many of these officers do not even have a dedicated computer to access them, severely hindering daily operations and timely responses.

High responsibilities, low resources
The administrative reshuffle in the state police force handed the day-to-day running of local stations back to Sub-Inspectors (SIs), freeing up CIs to focus on major criminal investigations. A single CI is now responsible for supervising two or three police stations, with approximately 200 circle offices designated across Kerala. They are mandated to lead investigations into grave crimes, including murders, sexual assaults, POCSO cases, and high-value financial frauds. However, without dedicated official vehicles and proper communication infrastructure, coordinating efforts across multiple jurisdictions has become increasingly difficult.

Adding to these physical infrastructure challenges is a glaring digital integration issue. Kerala is unique in maintaining this specific Circle Inspector hierarchy for crime data management. Consequently, the national Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) portal, which stores a nationwide database of crimes and criminals, does not feature a dedicated designation for CIs. Ironically, in Kerala, it is these very CIs who are tasked with uploading and updating critical case details on the national portal. Without system-level updates to recognise their designation, officers are left facing unnecessary technical hurdles while trying to perform their core duties.