Push for more women, this time in the police

Reservation, actual availability in the police:

1. Through horizontal reservation policy present in many states, 30% or 33% of the vacant posts (of direct recruitment) can be filled up by women in the police forces.

• Horizontal reservation — if the minimum reserved vacant posts are not filled up in each category of the SC, ST, OBCs and un-reserved with women on merit, women candidates are pushed up in the list to make up for the gap. 

2. The reservation for women in the State armed police forces is 10% in some States.
3. The ‘Data on Police Organizations’, published by the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D) reveals that:
   1. The total available strength of the State police forces increased by about 7.48% in the last 5 years (in 2021).
   2. The representation of women in the State police force also increased from 1 7.28% to 10.47% of the total available force in the same period.
4. As per Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data, representation of women in the police force (in 2022) remained at 11.7% of the total State police force.
5. Actual availability of women in police force remains low in spite of reservation policies.
   1. Though, few States such as Kerala, Mizoram and Goa do not have reservation policy for women in the police force, they have women’s representation between 6% and 11%. 
   2. Himachal Pradesh has no reservation for women, but 20% constables’ vacancies are filled up by women. 
   3. Bihar provides for 35% reservation for women but the actual number of women in the force is about 17.4%.
6. Lack of permanent police recruitment board to undertake recruitment at regular intervals in some states have been a major factor for under-representation.
7. Only about 4% to 5% of the total posts are filled by recruitment, considering the attrition rate in the police forces to be 2.5% to 3% and the annual sanction of new posts to be about 1.5% to 2%. Such a situation can make women’s representation to increase from 10% to 30% in not less than 20 years.

Crime data and need for more women police:

1. Certain legal provisions mandate recording of reports and statements, arrest and search of a woman accused by a woman police officer.
2. The National Crime Records Bureau data reveals that:
   1. About 10% of the total crime defined under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was committed against women.
   2. About 5.3% of total arrested persons were women in 2021.
   3. This data reflects that available women police force is insufficient even in dealing with cases that are related to women. 
3. Dealing of cases related to law-and-order and day-to-day duties requires women forces.
4. The scope of women recruitment in the police force has been further widened after commencement of the POCSO Act.

Efforts to be taken:

1. The recommendations for ‘police reforms’ has to be implemented properly. The reforms suggested include:
   1. Merging women police with the regular police 
   2. Establishment of the Police Recruitment Board
   3. Establish a ‘women desk’ in every police station.
   4. Special provision in the modernisation plan to build separate toilets for women staff.
   5. Ensure crèche facilities for children in every police station.
   6. Financial incentives were announced by the MHA from 2018-19 (reserving 10% in the 1^st year and 20% of total modernisation funds thereafter) to States that implement police reforms to a satisfactory level, however the outcome was poor.
2. More women have to be encouraged to join the police force, which requires development of minimum necessity of a conductive environment and basic infrastructure.
3. Roll out of a uniform Police Act for the entire country that can help the Centre to frame uniform standards for women police (‘Police’ being a ‘State’ subject in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution).
4. A recruitment board for every state has to be constituted to ensure recruitment on a regular basis.
5. A special drive should be launched by all States and Union Territories to recruit more women and increase their representation in the police force.