Coimbatore Day | From a vast territory to a tier II city - the history of policing

Explore the historical evolution of Coimbatore's police jurisdiction from the British era to the present day setup.

During the British era, Coimbatore district had a vast police jurisdiction that encompassed the Nilgiris and Wayanad as mentioned in the The Manual of the Coimbatore District by F.A. Nicholson published in 1887. These two places were attached to the Coimbatore district for police administrative purposes. As per the book, Coimbatore was the police headquarters, and taluks of Coimbatore, Palladam, Pollachi, and Udumalpet, Nilgiris, etc., were under the immediate charge of the Superintendent of Police. The other taluks in the district police jurisdiction were under the supervision of the Assistant Superintendent, a European officer with head-quarters at Erode. The office of the Deputy Inspector General of the range also functioned in Coimbatore. The number of the force stood at 946 as on March 31, 1884, it says. 

According to Nicholson’s account, the works of the Coimbatore Central Prison started in 1862 and it was partially occupied in 1865. The work was completed in 1868. In his book Idhuvo Engal Kovai, Kovai Kizhar C.M. Ramachandran narrates that a district jail functioned near the Town Hall prior to the construction of the central jail.

“During early years of colonial administration, major offices were located around the present day Town Hall. Later, important offices and other facilities were slowly shifted close to the Coimbatore railway station,” says local historian Rajesh Govindarajulu.

A colonial era building constructed in 1902 near the present day collectorate housed the office of the district police for over 100 years. H.D. Robertson, who was the DIG of Police, handed over the building to the Police Department in 1908. The building was the office of the DIG from 1908 to 1972.

After police jurisdiction was bifurcated and Coimbatore City Police was formed in 1972, the building became a dedicated office of the Coimbatore District Superintendent of Police. It was demolished in 2014, giving way to the existing new building.

The Hamilton Club opposite the Coimbatore railway station was constructed in 1918. British officer F.A. Hamilton purchased the place from its owner Krishna Rao in January 1918 for ₹ 20,000 and the building was constructed for recreational activities of police officers. An annex building, namely Harvey Block, was constructed for the accommodation of the police officers in August 1951. After Hamilton Club was converted to the Police Museum in 2018, Harvey Block is known as Police Club.

At present, Coimbatore City Police have 20 law and order police stations, apart from the cybercrime police station, four All Women Police Stations (AWPS), two Traffic Investigation Wings and the Central Crime Branch.