Gurgaon police short of 900 personnel, at pains to curb crime

Force is short of 44 sub-inspectors, 200 women cops, 457 head constables, 2 DCPs and 4 ACPs

The Gurgaon police has been sanctioned 10 new police stations by the Haryana government but the number of personnel has remained the same, putting the force under severe pressure to deliver.

The department is short 856 personnel against a sanctioned strength of 4,922. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

The department is short 856 personnel against a sanctioned strength of 4,922 posts.

The shortage is more critical when it comes to the number of women personnel. Against a sanctioned strength of 630, the force has only 430 women personnel in a city that is witnessing a rise in crimes against women.

According to the Bureau of Police Research and Development, one police personnel was taking care of 547 people at the national-level whereas in Gurgaon, if the average population is taken as 25 lakh, every policeman is responsible for around 625 citizens.

With Gurgaon expanding at a fast pace — almost 58 more sectors have been added in the last five years — the police are struggling to man all areas. Only recently, the government sanctioned 10 more police stations and also called for making the force more diverse and cosmopolitan.

The problem becomes acute as the maximum shortfall is in middle and lower ranks, which do the maximum legwork in terms of detection, investigation and maintenance of law and order.

While the city police has 175 posts of sub-inspectors, only 131 are present, amounting to a shortfall of 44. The sanctioned posts of assistant sub-inspectors is 423, but the number of officials posted is 391.

The shortage of head constables is also acute with just 266 personnel against a sanctioned strength 723.

As far as senior officials are concerned, the city needs two more deputy commissioners of police and four more assistant commissioners of police .

The only post for which the Gurgaon police has personnel in excess is that of inspectors — there are three more than sanctioned.

The Gurgaon police has seven posts of women inspectors and is short of five.

The maximum shortage is in the number of women head constables with 77 posts out of 86 lying vacant. The city police is also short of 83 women police constables.

Police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar, however, said he is confident that the new police stations and new graduates who will be joining the force soon will improve policing.

“Ten new police stations have come up and these will help in curbing crime. A state-of-the-art police control room is on the anvil and more recruitment will also take place,” he said.

Apart from that a new action plan is being formulated to tackle crime against women in the city, Khirwar said.