Technological Evolution of Indian Policing from Traditional to SMART Technology

India has transformed from ancient times to the present day of SMART policing, along with the transformations in the concept of policing. In ancient India, policing was a community-based affair with leaders and village councils managing it. British colonialism brought a formal police system, codified under the Indian Police Act (1861). After independence, India retained the framework but reformed the structure with democratic principles. The Digital India initiative and other governmental reforms have paved the way for SMART policing by utilizing tools such as AI, big data and surveillance technologies. SMART policing is a multifaceted approach, that served as a key policy initiative driven by the Indian government reforms like Digital India and Modernization of State Police Forces (MPF) schemes. These tools are being introduced to attain efficiency, transparency and public trust. However, issues such as privacy concerns, inadequate training and resistance to change persist. This paper seeks an analysis of police practices in the dimensions of SCOT (Social Construction of Technology) to understand the extent to which societal needs and technological advances have uniformly influenced the different adoption of policing practices. Based on secondary data (case study) extracted from government publications, police records, and historical archives, the study identifies key shifts and assesses the impact of the reform with a view of their implications for future SMART policing in India.