Modi govt to recruit 5,000 policemen ahead of ’14 LS poll, create SI squad

Ujjwala Nayudu : Ahmedabad, Sat May 25 2013

The state police is all set to recruit 5,000 policemen and create a special sub-inspectors’ squad for the state Intelligence Bureau, Director General of Police (DGP) Amitabh Pathak told The Indian Express on Friday. The recruitments are being done keeping in mind the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he said.

The DGP said the state government has recently sanctioned the recruitment of 4,500 constables and 500 direct sub-inspectors in the state to ensure maximum strength of police officers during the Lok Sabha polls and to fill the current overall vacancy of 26% for inspector and lower constable posts.

“We are recruiting police inspectors, sub-inspectors and constables, including women, who would be trained and brought to the field before elections. This would leave only 17% positions for policemen vacant in the state,” he said.

Interestingly, the state government has reduced the years of experience for the post of sub-inspectors from eight to six years.

Pathak added, “Since inspectors are not directly recruited in the state, sub-inspectors are promoted to the rank of inspectors. The government has accepted the proposal of shortening the experience limit of sub-inspectors which would help us in faster promotions and filling up inspectors’ posts.”

ADGP Ashish Bhatia, who heads the the Sub-Inspector Recruitment Board of the state government, said, “After clearing the physical and written examinations, the sub-inspectors would undergo 10-month training in the police academy and also receive special training for working with intelligence officials.”

The selected candidates for the special sub-inspectors’ squad would also be trained by the Central Intelligence Bureau (CIB) DGP Pathak added. After receiving their training both from the state and the Centre, they would be posted permanently in the state IB.

During the recently held Assembly elections, the state police had faced acute shortage of IPS officers, field officers, inspectors and constables. The Elections Commission had sent a force of 65,000 men from the paramilitary forces and other armed police from different states to help the Gujarat police.