State high in crime, police force 27% short

Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 2

For a state with the fifth highest crime rate in the country, the shortfall of police manpower in Haryana is as high as 27 per cent. This deficiency is the highest among the northern states and almost four times the deficit being faced by the neighbouring border state of Punjab.

The Haryana Police have a sanctioned strength of 61,346 police personnel, but the actual posted strength is 44,502, according to information placed by the Ministry of Home Affairs in Parliament today.

Among the four northern states, Punjab is the best placed with a deficiency of about 7 per cent. Himachal Pradesh has a shortfall of 10 per cent while the strife-torn state of Jammu and Kashmir has a shortfall of about 11 per cent. According to the Constitution’s Seventh Schedule, “police’ is a state subject and it is primarily the responsibility of the state government to fill the vacancies in their respective police forces, though the Central government can issue advisories on recruitment or reforms or sanction grants for modernisation.

That the inadequate strength of the police in Haryana has a bearing on its effective functioning can be gauged from a recent study published under the aegis of the Bureau of Police Research and Development that revealed that police personnel in Haryana were not being given their weekly day off from work due to which they were forced to adopt an ad hoc arrangement of skipping duty in connivance with their seniors to meet their domestic requirements. They even faced difficulty in taking their casual and earned leave. The study, undertaken by faculty members of the Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, stated that the majority of policemen in Haryana had expressed dissatisfaction over their service conditions.

To tackle the crunch, the state initiated a process last month to recruit 6,400 policemen at the level of constables and sub-inspectors.

Without weekly offs

A recent study published under the aegis of the Bureau of Police Research and Development revealed that police personnel in Haryana were not being given their weekly day off from work. They even faced difficulty in taking their casual and earned leave. The study, undertaken by MDU, Rohtak, stated that the majority of policemen in the state had expressed dissatisfaction over their service conditions.

At 7% deficit, Punjab best in north region 

• Among the four northern states, Punjab is the best placed with a deficiency of about 7%.
• Himachal Pradesh has a shortfall of 10% while the strife-torn state of Jammu and Kashmir has a shortfall of about 11%.