Manpower shortage hits investigation by Assam Police

Guwahati: “With 35 Assam Police battalions in place, there is no shortage of armed police personnel, but the crisis is in civil police where the strength has remained almost what it was 25 years back. As a result police stations are under tremendous pressure and investigation process has suffered,” the chairman of the State-level Police Recruitment Board and DG (Home Guards) of Assam Police, Pradeep Kumar said here on Saturday.

Assam Police has been hamstrung by severe manpower crisis especially in respect of civil police. Out of the total sanctioned strength of 74,000 personnel, 12,000 posts including 79 DSPs, 154 Inspectors are now lying vacant. The present police: public ratio in the state is 107 personnel per one lakh population which is much below the standard proportion of 210 police personnel per lakh population as prescribed by the UNO.

With over 12000 posts in all ranks including about 8000 constables lying vacant, the Assam Police has proposed the state government to carry out a special drive to recruit youth from different backward insurgency-affected areas which are susceptible to be lured into ranks of insurgent outfits.

The DGP, Kumar informed that the recruitment board had proposed the state government for reservation of 10 per cent jobs in the state police for the youth from backward areas of the state like Sadiya Dhemaji in eastern Assam as well as areas in Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council. The state government is formulating the new transparent recruitment policy for the state police.

Six per cent of the police jobs have been proposed to be set aside for family members of the policemen who were killed while taking part in operation against insurgents. Similarly, proposals have been made for reservation of two per cent jobs for former members of militant organisations, four per cent for serving special police officers (SPOs), two per cent for sports persons who have represented the state in national level events or are recognized as state level players, five per cent for trained home guards working with the state police.

Meanwhile, proposal has been submitted to the Government of India for its approval for raising three Indian Reserve (IR) battalion in Assam. The ADG (administration) L R Bishnoi informed that once these proposals were sanctioned it would pave the way for recruitment of 3000 more youth from the state.

The official informed that as on date representation of the two insurgency-hit hill districts in Assam police constabulary was only 0.2 % while it was 1.67 % for Bodoland Territorial District Council area and 6 % for backward insurgency-hit areas in eastern Assam.