According to the official statistics published in the annual Data on Police Organizations (DoPO) 2021 released by the Bureau of Police Research & Development that includes the India Justice Report’s quantitative and comparative measurements of police budgets, human resources, infrastructure, workload and diversity, it is highlighted that over the last decade, the population per civil policeman has decreased from 984 in 2010 to 841 in 2020. In 2020, Bihar with 1,847 had the highest population per civil police ratio while Punjab with 480 had the lowest. In six large and mid-sized states, the ratio was above 1,000.
The report said that over the last decade, total police numbers have swelled by 32%—growing from 15.6 lakhs to 20.7 lakhs. Each state and Union Territory (UT) has a specific sanctioned strength for policing. Inevitably, the actual strength on the ground is lower and no state/UT works with a full complement of police except Nagaland. In 2010, the national overall vacancy level stood at 24.3%, with officer vacancy at 24.1% and constabulary vacancy at 27.2%. A decade later, the overall vacancy was at 21.4% with officer vacancy at 32.2% and constabulary at 20%.
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam are functioning with more than 1/4th of their constable and officer posts vacant. Overall, the vacancies are highest in Bihar (41.8%) and lowest in Uttarakhand (6.8%). During 2020, the first Covid-19 affected year, the overall vacancy increased from 20.3% to 21.4%. While the overall sanctioned strength of police force increased by 8,665, the actual strength reduced by 21,926.
Nationally, constable vacancies have risen from 18% in 2019 to 20% in 2020. Similarly, officer vacancies have increased from 29% in 2019 to 32% in 2020. Bihar and Maharashtra saw the sharpest rise—from 33.9% to 41.8% and from 11.7% to 16.3%, respectively. Only three states, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala, could reduce vacancies among both constabulary and officers.
Diversity is an essential feature of policing in a plural society. Policy and law mandates this. Data indicates the levels of commitment to implementation. The share of women in the police force of India is 10.5%. The aspiration is to take it to 33%.
It has taken 15 years—from 2006 to 2020—for the nation to increase the share of women personnel in its police force from 3.3% to 10.5%. In the first five years between 2006—when the Bureau of Police Research & Development first began recording the actual strength in its report—and 2010, there was an increase of 1.3 percentage points in the total share of women in police. In the decade between 2010 and 2020, the numbers accelerated to bring it to just above 10% of the total police force.
As of 2020, no state or union territory has reached the target they had set for themselves. Among large and mid-sized states, Tamil Nadu (19.4%), Bihar (17.4%) and Gujarat (16%) have the highest share of women in police, but these states don’t meet their stated reservations of 30%, 38% and 33%, respectively. Andhra Pradesh with 6.3% has the lowest share closely followed by Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh with 6.6% each.
Nationally, the share of women officers stands at 8.2%. In 11 states/UTs, the share of women at the officer level is 5% or less. The Kerala police has 3% women officers and West Bengal has 4.2%. Tamil Nadu and Mizoram have the highest share of women officers at 20.2% closely followed by Uttarakhand with 18.2%. Jammu and Kashmir has the least share with 2%. Lakshadweep, which has 18 police officers, does not have any woman officer in its police force. Bihar and Himachal Pradesh also recorded a sharp decline in the share of women. In 2019, Bihar reported 25.3% which dropped to 17.4%, and in Himachal Pradesh, it dropped to 13.5% (2020) from 19.2% (2019).
The report further claims that at the present rate of increase, it will take 33 years to reach 33% women nationally. Among large and mid-sized states, Odisha will take 428 years to reach 33% while Bihar will take only 8 years. The Delhi Police under the Ministry of Home Affairs with 12.4% of women in its police will take 31 years. While the quickest states are Gujarat (7 years) and Bihar (8 years), the slowest state, Mizoram, may take 585 years. Assuming that rates of recruitment of women and men in police stay the same, it would take Madhya Pradesh 78 years and Uttar Pradesh 21 years.
Out of 17,233 police stations only 10,165 have women help desks. Only Tripura has women help desks in all its 82 police stations. In nine states/UTs, more than 90% of police stations have women help desks. Arunachal Pradesh has none. Out of a total of 1,053 police stations, Bihar has women help desks in only 14% of police stations.
In 2020, no state or UT, except Karnataka, has met its statutory reserved quotas. Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and OBCs remain underrepresented in the police force of India. Gujarat is the only state that has nearly filled all the three quotas at the constabulary level. Over the last decade, the share of SCs has increased from 12.6% (2010) to 15.2% (2020) while the increase in the share of STs has been sluggish, moving just above 1 percentage point from 10.6% in 2010 to 11.7% in 2020. Nationally, since 2010, the share of OBCs in the police force increased from 20.8% in 2010 to 28.8% in 2020.
In its 2021 report, the Data on Police Organisations shows that one in three of 17,233 police stations does not have a single CCTV camera. Only three states/UTs (Odisha, Telangana and Puducherry) have at least one CCTV camera in all police stations. Four states/UTs (Rajasthan, Manipur, Ladakh and Lakshadweep) have reported less than 1% police stations with CCTV cameras.
Rajasthan, which has a total of 894 police stations and is the seventh largest state by population in India, reports only one police station with CCTV cameras. Manipur, Ladakh and Lakshadweep have reported none.
According to the latest available data, the average all-India per capita spend on policing is Rs 1,039, which is almost double of what India spent (Rs 445) eight years ago. The average spend per police person varies dramatically across states.
Among the large and mid-sized states, while Punjab spends Rs 1,880 per person, Bihar spends Rs 615. Smaller states like Tripura spend significantly (Rs 3,120) on police than its much larger neighbour West Bengal, which spends only Rs 651.
Nationally, spending on training averages 1.2% of the total police expenditure (Rs 1,51,713.82 crore) or roughly Rs 9,088 per police person. Delhi spent the highest at Rs 25,066 followed by Mizoram (Rs 20,239) and Madhya Pradesh (Rs 19,019), while Kerala with 57,819 personnel documented nil. Among the small states, Himachal Pradesh spent the least (Rs 589).
The Cyber Crime Cell of the police department is a specialised unit that handles all complex and sensitive cases of cyber crimes, including those in which the victims are women and children. The 237th Parliamentary Standing Committee report recommends that the home ministry may advise states to set up cyber cells in all the districts. India has 746 districts and 466 cyber cells i.e. only 63% of the districts in India have a cyber cell. Only 14 states/UTs have a cyber cell in all of its districts. Punjab, Mizoram and Jammu and Kashmir do not have any cyber cell in any of their districts.
The report has also undertaken an analysis of state performance against 18 indicators to measure police capacity based on the Data on Police Organizations (DoPO) 2020 information to understand levels of improvement. After comparing the latest DoPO 2021 report with the previous one, it is evident that most states have made at least some improvements in police administration since January 2020.
Kerala shows the most improvement on 14 out of 18 indicators. Chhattisgarh improved the least. Kerala has shown improvements across the board in terms of reduction in vacancies. For instance, among large and mid-sized states, its vacancies have reduced at constabulary levels from 7% to 4% and officer levels from 18% to 14%. The state is also inching very close to meet its ST (2%) and OBC (40%) quotas at both officer and constable levels.
Karnataka has seen an increase in per capita spend from Rs 696 to Rs 822. It has also been able to reduce its officer vacancy from 19% to 14%. A closer inspection shows that the state has increased its sanctioned strength and hired more police personnel. The share of officers in civil police has also increased from 14% to 17%. Karnataka continues to be the only state to have met its SC, ST and OBC quotas for both officers and constables.
Tamil Nadu has seen the maximum increase in the share of women personnel (18.5% to 19.4%), making it the state with the highest share of women officers in its police force. The state met its SC and OBC quotas for both officers and constables.
In contrast, several states have either stagnated or shown a marked deterioration. For instance, Bihar increased constable and officer vacancies from 27% to 41% and from 49% to 51%, respectively. It has also shown the highest drop in the share of women personnel (from 25% to 17%).
West Bengal remains the state with high constable and officer vacancy levels—at 41% and 30%, respectively. It also doesn’t meet its reservation for SCs (22%), STs (6%) and OBCs (17%).
Uttar Pradesh too has high vacancy at officer level (increased from 40% to 46%). At the constabulary level, the vacancy has increased from 24% to 28%. Maharashtra has seen the highest increase in officer vacancy (from 22% to 42%). Similarly, Chhattisgarh, with least improvements, has seen an increase in vacancy at both constable (17.9% to 18.7%) and officer (23.5% to 31%) levels and reduction in the share of women personnel (7.1% to 6.7%) and women officers (9.0% to 5.9%).
The share of officers in civil police has also reduced from 13.1% to 11.9%. Among small states, Goa has improved the most. Per capita spend in the state has increased from Rs 3,174 to Rs 3,234. Officers in civil police have also increased from 10 % to 13%. Share of women in officers has increased from 13% to 17%. Mizoram, with least improvement among small states, has increased constable vacancy from 30% to 32%—the highest among all small states. Officer vacancy increased from 18% to 22%. Population per civil police increased from 349 to 364.
The latest report is an indicator why the police force in the country continues to have a negative image among the public it is pledged to protect.
—By Shivam Sharma and India Legal Bureau