Kolkata, May 24 (PTI) Kolkata Police has approached the West Bengal Home Department with a proposal to bring back its personnel currently serving on deputation in various district units to address an acute
manpower shortage in the force, an official said on Sunday.
According to the proposal, Kolkata Police is facing a large number of vacancies in the ranks of sub-inspectors, constables and drivers, putting additional pressure on the force, particularly its detective department, in maintaining law and order in the city, he said.
"As fresh recruitment of police personnel is a time-consuming process, a proposal has been sent to bring back personnel posted on deputation so that administrative work can continue smoothly," the bureaucrat told PTI.
The move has gained urgency after the Bhangar Assembly segment was brought under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police, he said.
The area had witnessed repeated incidents of violence during the previous panchayat elections, with the law and order situation allegedly going out of control at several points.
Following the inclusion of Bhangar under Kolkata Police, the force proposed increasing the number of police stations in the area from three to nine, necessitating deployment of additional officers and staff, he said.
The letter sent by Kolkata Police mentioned about manpower shortage and included a list of 22 police officers proposed to be brought back from district postings.
Another well-placed source said that several Kolkata Police officers, who had discharged election duties "responsibly" during the 2016 polls, were transferred to districts under "unexplained circumstances".
"Many of them were made to serve for years in comparatively less significant posts," he stated.
Under existing rules, police personnel recruited specifically for Kolkata Police are generally not transferred to district police units. However, during the erstwhile Trinamool Congress regime, several assistant commissioners, inspectors, sub-inspectors and constables were posted to districts, breaking with convention, the official stated.
Many of those officers have since retired, while several others are still in service. With a change in government in the state, the Kolkata Police has now sought the return of those personnel after nearly a decade, he added. PTI SCH RG
