UP initiates police modernisation, 125k new constables to join by 2019-end

Government to constitute a three-member commission to recommend a definite roadmap for strengthening and modernising the UP Police

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday highlighted job-related stress and burnout among UP policemen even as he referred to various reforms underway to modernise the force.  

Addressing the Police Memorial Day ceremony in Lucknow, Adityanath said the government had taken a number of steps to counter stress and motivate the police force, including fresh recruitment, promotions, training infrastructure and creating a healthier work environment.

He announced that the government would constitute a three-member commission to recommend a definite roadmap for strengthening and modernising the UP Police. The quasi-judicial body would look into all the aspects of the force to lay down its suggestions.   

The chief minister informed that after coming to power, his government had decided to conduct fresh recruitment to strengthen the police force to not only fill the shortage of constables but to also allow serving policemen to avail of routine leaves to look after their family.   

"By the end of 2019, an additional 125,000 constables would join the different wings of UP Police, which would reflect in better policing in the state," he added.  

According to results announced in 2018, about 29,303 male and female constables were undergoing training, including 3,828 provincial armed constabulary (PAC) personnel, while 42,000 new recruitment processes were already underway. The Police Recruitment Board has recently announced the schedule to recruit another batch of 51,216 constables in the second phase. 

After coming to power, the Adityanath government had announced that it would annually recruit about 30,000 constables into the UP Police, which is considered to be the world's largest single-command police, totalling almost half a million personnel at present. 

The chief minister said that the government had promoted a record number of 9,892 and 37,575 cops during 2017 and 2018, respectively, to motivate them and nurture a better work culture in the force. 

Further, the state has decided to almost double the training infrastructure from the present capacity of 5,793 constables for a meaner and fitter police force. The government would also take the assistance of central paramilitary forces in this regard, while new training centres would be launched in Jalaun and Sultanpur.

Earlier, the state had hiked monetary compensation to the family of a martyred cop from Rs 2 million to Rs 4 million, besides increasing ex gratia to their parents to Rs 1 million.

UP Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh said 67 policemen had laid down their lives in the line of duty between September 1, 2017, and August 31, 2018.

The UP Police has, of late, come under the scanner over encounters, wherein it has gunned down more than 60 alleged criminals since last year. Last month, two constables were dismissed from service for allegedly shooting a mobile phone company executive when the victim was returning home late night in the posh Gomti Nagar area with a female acquaintance.