The island of Maipith lies in the Sundarbans region of South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. It is a village surrounded by rivers and with vast natural reserves of both flora and fauna. The village being close to the border with Bangladesh, Maipith Police Station was created and it started functioning since 2009. The police stay extra vigilant. Apart from land patrolling, they also patrol the waterways day and night to counter smuggling, piracy, poaching and other activities.
Jurisdiction:
North: Kultali Police Station
South: Thakurani River
East: Matla River
West: Thakurani River
Area Profile: Maipith Police Station has a jurisdiction of 131.875 Sq. Kms. land area apart from waterways. Maipith is one of the 22 deltas in Sundarbans. According to 2011 census, Maipith has a population of 48,220 of which 24,654 are males and 23,566 females. Majority of the population are Hindus. Three rivers flow along the area—Thakurani, Matla and Bitta, which cause floods during the rainy season. There are six high schools including one for girls and four higher secondary schools. There is however no college in the area, the nearest one being the Kultali Dr. BR Ambedkar College. One primary health centre is located at Bhubaneswari. There is no commercial bank in the area. Only a kiosk is operated by State Bank of India and two Krishi Samabaya Societies are functional at Devipur and Gurguria. People are generally poor and survive with agriculture and fishing. Honey collection, crabs and their sale are two of the main sources of income for the villagers.
Policing: Police work is tenacious and the personnel of Maipith Police Station work in conjunction with the Coast Guard when necessary, to deter smuggling, piracy being committed. River patrolling is done in a scheduled manner through Fast Interceptor Boats(FIB) throughout the year. Wildlife protection is another responsibility. Poaching has stopped because of stringent action taken by regular patrolling by the police. 
Tiger attacks often occur in and around the surrounding areas. The police station maintains regular interaction with the forest department and rehabilitates tigers away from human population. One such case happened on 19 December, 2015 in which four deaths and one injury were reported in the wake of the tiger’s entry in the village. The man eater was captured on the 21st after intensive search and was handed over to the forest officials. The police were the first to respond and thus saved further loss of human lives.
Challenges: Preventing piracy, poaching and crime against women are major challenges for this police station. They also keep track on the fishing trawlers, as it’s strategically important for Maipith being a coastal area.
Beyond Policing: Traffic awareness – Safe Drive Save Life campaigns are organised on a few 
occasions. As bites of stray dogs can cause Rabis, this is major concern in the area. An awareness campaign on prevention and cure of Rabis is organised at Gurguria village by this police staion. Police assistance booths are setup in the remotest regions from where people find it difficult to travel to the police stations to lodge their complaints.
Present Strength:
SI – 3, ASI – 5, Constable – 9,HG – 1, Driver – 1, CV – 58
Trivia: A 2008 batch officer, SI Avijit Paul completed his training in March 2009. He was first posted in Raidighi. He served there for more than three years. In 2012, he was transferred to Kultali, where he served until 2015. Then he was transferred to Mathurapur fora year. In August 2016, he joined Maipith police station as the Officer in Charge.
Maipith Coastal Police Station
Address: Binodpur, West Bengal – 743383
Phone: 03174204139
By Our Correspondent
