Law and disorder: States must spend more on adequate police forces

Under-policing is not just a serious and obvious risk for public safety, especially for vulnerable sections, it has implications for small businesses

The latest reports from the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) underline the poor state of India’s security-governance architecture, a grim reality that hits people in general the hardest. The report revealed vacancies in over a fifth (21.35 per cent) of state police forces. Among them, 10 states had a vacancy rate of more than 25 per cent (as on January 1, 2023). No surprise, perhaps, the highest vacancies figure in states that are reputed for poor law and order. For instance, West Bengal had a vacancy rate of 39.42 per cent against the sanctioned strength, the highest among