02-09-2008, 01:59 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Not enough cops to fight crime, terror </b>
Pioneer.com
Rakesh K Singh | New DelhiÂ
Spokesmen of the UPA Government at the Centre keep on warning about heightened security threats to India -- from within as well as outside. "But little is being done to bring Indian police forces up to their sanctioned strength," say security experts.
The situation is pathetic in most of the major States, where incidence of crime and terrorist violence are rising alarmingly. The strength of police there is below the average national police population ratio of 1: 699 --itself far short of the UN-recommended ratio of 1:450.
For instance, Bihar has one policeman for a population of 1,262, followed by 1,089 in Uttar Pradesh, 1,027 in West Bengal, 892 in Madhya Pradesh and 869 in Rajasthan.
Home Ministry figures say there are only 12,702 police stations for a population of over 100 crore people -- working out to one police station for every 86,000 citizens on an average.
"There is an urgent need to increase the number of policemen and police stations as development is possible only in a secure environment," admits an official of the Union Home Ministry.
"It needs to be noted that Punjab could contain terrorism at its peak only after the police realised its responsibility and became fully active. Likewise, significant improvement on the security front was evident in Jammu & Kashmir only after it continuously increased its anti-terror operations,'' says a Union Home Ministry report on internal security backing the Centre's plea to the States for augmenting police infrastructure.
The capacity of the States in terms of police infrastructure is directly reflected on the prevalence of security threats from terrorism in the hinterlands and Maoist violence in vast swathes of Indian mainland. Emerging challenges of extremism and terrorism pose an added threat to maintaining law and order, says the report.
Despite this, 10 to 25 per cent sanctioned posts of constables, sub-inspectors and deputy superintendents of police remain unfulfilled.
Ironically, the growth in expenditure on police forces does not even keep pace with growing population and spiralling crime rates. Between 2003-04 and 2005-06 it went up from Rs 18,044.22 crore to Rs Rs 21,070.60 crore only.
In recent times, the States have not only exhibited an increasing dependence on Central security forces for militant/extremist activities but also for law and order duties. This has resulted in a situation whereby the Central security forces are deployed for a period of one year at a stretch and the same is adversely affecting the training requirements and rest and recreation needs of the paramilitary forces.
The situation has also resulted in increased stress levels amongst the jawans despite maximum expansion of the Central paramilitary forces during the last decade, according to the report.
Apart from increasing the number of the police personnel, capacity building and improvement in quality is equally important and resources will have to be mobilised for the purpose.
<b>The Union Home Ministry has been spending Rs 1,000 crore annually for the last few years under the police modernisation schemes in the States. However, a fund of Rs 150 crore still remains unutilised for the current fiscal.</b>
Notwithstanding the Centrally-sponsored security-related expenditure and police modernisation schemes, States have not paid the desired attention to capacity building and strengthening of the police forces, says the report.
Counter terrorism expert Ajay Sahni said, "The Centre needs to do more by way of underwriting expenses incurred by the State Governments on developing police infrastructure in view of the bad financial shape of many of them. The Centre should bear the cost of maintaining the India Reserve battalions."
The UN recommendations are for peacetime policing and the requirement of the numbers of the police is much more for the Maoist and insurgency-affected States, said Sahni adding that the vacancies need to be expeditiously filled up.
Police Population Ratio
<b>UN recommended -- 1: 450
India -- 1: 699
Bihar:-- 1: 1262
Uttar Pradesh -- 1: 1089
West Bengal -- 1: 1037
Orissa -- 1: 987
Madhya Pradesh -- 1: 892
Andhra Pradesh -- 1: 879
Rajasthan -- 1: 869
Gujarat -- 1: 852 </b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Pioneer.com
Rakesh K Singh | New DelhiÂ
Spokesmen of the UPA Government at the Centre keep on warning about heightened security threats to India -- from within as well as outside. "But little is being done to bring Indian police forces up to their sanctioned strength," say security experts.
The situation is pathetic in most of the major States, where incidence of crime and terrorist violence are rising alarmingly. The strength of police there is below the average national police population ratio of 1: 699 --itself far short of the UN-recommended ratio of 1:450.
For instance, Bihar has one policeman for a population of 1,262, followed by 1,089 in Uttar Pradesh, 1,027 in West Bengal, 892 in Madhya Pradesh and 869 in Rajasthan.
Home Ministry figures say there are only 12,702 police stations for a population of over 100 crore people -- working out to one police station for every 86,000 citizens on an average.
"There is an urgent need to increase the number of policemen and police stations as development is possible only in a secure environment," admits an official of the Union Home Ministry.
"It needs to be noted that Punjab could contain terrorism at its peak only after the police realised its responsibility and became fully active. Likewise, significant improvement on the security front was evident in Jammu & Kashmir only after it continuously increased its anti-terror operations,'' says a Union Home Ministry report on internal security backing the Centre's plea to the States for augmenting police infrastructure.
The capacity of the States in terms of police infrastructure is directly reflected on the prevalence of security threats from terrorism in the hinterlands and Maoist violence in vast swathes of Indian mainland. Emerging challenges of extremism and terrorism pose an added threat to maintaining law and order, says the report.
Despite this, 10 to 25 per cent sanctioned posts of constables, sub-inspectors and deputy superintendents of police remain unfulfilled.
Ironically, the growth in expenditure on police forces does not even keep pace with growing population and spiralling crime rates. Between 2003-04 and 2005-06 it went up from Rs 18,044.22 crore to Rs Rs 21,070.60 crore only.
In recent times, the States have not only exhibited an increasing dependence on Central security forces for militant/extremist activities but also for law and order duties. This has resulted in a situation whereby the Central security forces are deployed for a period of one year at a stretch and the same is adversely affecting the training requirements and rest and recreation needs of the paramilitary forces.
The situation has also resulted in increased stress levels amongst the jawans despite maximum expansion of the Central paramilitary forces during the last decade, according to the report.
Apart from increasing the number of the police personnel, capacity building and improvement in quality is equally important and resources will have to be mobilised for the purpose.
<b>The Union Home Ministry has been spending Rs 1,000 crore annually for the last few years under the police modernisation schemes in the States. However, a fund of Rs 150 crore still remains unutilised for the current fiscal.</b>
Notwithstanding the Centrally-sponsored security-related expenditure and police modernisation schemes, States have not paid the desired attention to capacity building and strengthening of the police forces, says the report.
Counter terrorism expert Ajay Sahni said, "The Centre needs to do more by way of underwriting expenses incurred by the State Governments on developing police infrastructure in view of the bad financial shape of many of them. The Centre should bear the cost of maintaining the India Reserve battalions."
The UN recommendations are for peacetime policing and the requirement of the numbers of the police is much more for the Maoist and insurgency-affected States, said Sahni adding that the vacancies need to be expeditiously filled up.
Police Population Ratio
<b>UN recommended -- 1: 450
India -- 1: 699
Bihar:-- 1: 1262
Uttar Pradesh -- 1: 1089
West Bengal -- 1: 1037
Orissa -- 1: 987
Madhya Pradesh -- 1: 892
Andhra Pradesh -- 1: 879
Rajasthan -- 1: 869
Gujarat -- 1: 852 </b><!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->