Anand Sharma led Standing Committee on Home Affairs submitted a detailed report on police training, reforms and modernization. The Committee reported that currently, women comprise only 10.30 per cent of the police forces, which is a matter of concern.
In its report, the Standing Committee recommended the Ministry of Home affairs to suggest the States and Union Territories to create a Roadmap for bringing up the representation of women in police forces to 33 per cent of the total strength. It further said that rather than converting the vacant posts of male constables, they (States and Union Territories) should create additional posts for the appointment of women in the forces. This move will further help in the improvement of the police to population ratio in the country.
Other than elevating the number of women in the police force, the Committee further said, taking a cue from the defence forces where women are actively being assigned to combative roles as well, the States and Union Territories should assign the women personnel in the police forces to the challenging central duties of the police. The women in the force should not be assigned only to the duties of inconsequences.
Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs had advised the states and Union Territories that for efficient and round the clock manning of the Women’s Help Desk, each police station should have at least three women sub-inspectors and ten women police constables. Also, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) can be given the task of assessing the performance of the Women’s Help Desk, the Committee further recommended.
Along with that, the Ministry of Home Affairs can advise the states and Union Territories for the establishment of at least one all-women police station in each district.
According to the crime and security situation in the country, the strength of police forces don’t look good, as against the sanctioned strength of 26,23,225 personnel in the State Police Forces, 5,31,737 posts remain vacant. The figure amounts to almost 21 per cent. The committee recommended speeding up the recruitment drive in the police forces to overcome the shortfall and thus provide for improved law and order mechanism.
