New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS): With an aim to strengthen the good governance practices in the police, the Union Home Ministry here on Thursday commissioned the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) to conduct a pan-India survey called "All India Citizens Survey of Police Services."

The survey will be conducted through the New Delhi-based National Council of Applied Economic Research.

"The survey is aimed to understand public perception about the police, gauge the level of non-reporting of crime or incidents to the police, the situation on ground relating to crime reporting and recording, timeliness and quality of police response and action, and assess citizens' perception and experience about women and children's safety," an official statement said.

The survey will start in March and cover a representative sample of 1.2 lakh households, spread over 173 districts, based on the National Sample Survey framework.

"All states and Union Territories would be included in the survey, which will be completed in 9 months," the Ministry said.

The survey is expected to throw up useful suggestions for formulating and implementing appropriate policy responses and changes in the police.

It would also improve crime prevention and investigation, transformation in community policing, access to justice and increased/appropriate resource allocation for police in a systematic manner.

The Home Ministry has requested states to extend their full cooperation to the survey besides preparing their police force to undertake such surveys on their own.