Police HQ gears up for massive recruitment

The state government proposes to recruit about 43,000 policemen in the next five years to improve the policepublic ratio and bring it at par with that at the national level.

Five thousand policemen would be recruited directly each year, while 17,000 would be promoted from ranks to fill up higher vacancies. Incidentally, this would be the largest recruitment of policemen in the last 100 years since Bihar was carved out of the then Bengal.

The state police administration is battling with a huge crisis of personnel in different ranks that has gravely affected policing. While the national police-public ratio is 145 policemen per lakh of population, the state at present has only around 80 policemen per lakh.

State police headquarters (SPH) sources said, even if 43,000 personnel were recruited under the plan, the ratio would not reach the national level of 145, rather it would be around 125 per lakh.

Though a formal announcement by the state government is yet to be made, sources in the police headquarters confirmed, that a proposal has been sent to the home department.

As envisaged, 372 police stations in Naxal-infected areas across the state would be strengthened by ensuring posting of eight havildars and 32 constables each.

The number of police personnel will be increased in 148 urban police stations with three sub-inspectors (SIs), four assistant subinspectors (ASIs), two havildar and 13 constables each.

The Cheetah unit of the special task force (STF) has also been included in the police development plan. According to sources 15 more units would be constituted to boost it to 40 to cover 38 districts, including 33 Naxal affected districts.

The headquarters has also planned to constitute a special unit at par with CISF units, for protection of important government establishments and monuments.

This new unit would be under the Bihar military police (BMP). Three units of anti-riot force is also to be raised on the CISF pattern force while each BMP battalion are to get additional personnel.

The number of DSPs will also be increased and each district will have two DSPs-one heading the police line and another heading investigations.

Sources also disclosed, that the headquarters has decided to post two SIs and three ASIs in each of the 889 police stations in Bihar for scientific investigations.

Similarly, 231 town outposts and 227 outposts would also be strengthened. Besides there are plans to recruit 2405 police vehicle driver, 1824 computer operators/office clerks, besides 245 policemen to man the economic offences unit (EoU).

Recruitment of policemen was one of the points highlighted in the JD (U) election manifesto for 2005 assembly elections.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar has several times announced annual recruitment of upto 1000 sub inspectors and 9000 constables.

"Comprehensive recruitment of upto 50,000 vacancies would be taken up in various stages to bridge the gap in police-public ratio in the state".

However, due to inexplicable reasons police planners have not made any provision to provide accommodation to would-be police recruits.