Push for more women, this time in the police
30 Sep 2023 8 mins Download PDF
Push for more women, this time in the police
Reservation, actual availability in the police:
- 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.
- The reservation for women in the State armed police forces is 10% in some States.
- The ‘Data on Police Organizations’, published by the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D) reveals that:
- The total available strength of the State police forces increased by about 7.48% in the last 5 years (in 2021).
- 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.
- 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.
- Actual availability of women in police force remains low in spite of reservation policies.
- 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%.
- Himachal Pradesh has no reservation for women, but 20% constables’ vacancies are filled up by women.
- Bihar provides for 35% reservation for women but the actual number of women in the force is about 17.4%.
- Lack of permanent police recruitment board to undertake recruitment at regular intervals in some states have been a major factor for under-representation.
- 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:
- Certain legal provisions mandate recording of reports and statements, arrest and search of a woman accused by a woman police officer.
- The National Crime Records Bureau data reveals that:
- About 10% of the total crime defined under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was committed against women.
- About 5.3% of total arrested persons were women in 2021.
- This data reflects that available women police force is insufficient even in dealing with cases that are related to women.
- Dealing of cases related to law-and-order and day-to-day duties requires women forces.
- The scope of women recruitment in the police force has been further widened after commencement of the POCSO Act.
Efforts to be taken:
- The recommendations for ‘police reforms’ has to be implemented properly. The reforms suggested include:
- Merging women police with the regular police
- Establishment of the Police Recruitment Board
- Establish a ‘women desk’ in every police station.
- Special provision in the modernisation plan to build separate toilets for women staff.
- Ensure crèche facilities for children in every police station.
- Financial incentives were announced by the MHA from 2018-19 (reserving 10% in the 1st year and 20% of total modernisation funds thereafter) to States that implement police reforms to a satisfactory level, however the outcome was poor.
- More women have to be encouraged to join the police force, which requires development of minimum necessity of a conductive environment and basic infrastructure.
- 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).
- A recruitment board for every state has to be constituted to ensure recruitment on a regular basis.
- A special drive should be launched by all States and Union Territories to recruit more women and increase their representation in the police force.
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