While Maoist operations have been contained considerably in Odisha, the state’s director general of police (DGP), Prakash Mishra, feels there is an urgent requirement to fill up vacancies in the police department for the state to hold the forthcoming elections peacefully.

Addressing the 57th senior police officers’ conference here on the weekend, DGP Prakash Mishra proposed recruitment of retired police officers on short-term basis to fill up vacancies ahead of the forthcoming elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assembly. With elections not far off, he said it is impossible to start the recruitment process and complete it in time. Under the circumstances, the state police could do with the experience and expertise of retired police officers by hiring them till the election process is completed.

The DGP also urged chief minister Naveen Patnaik to look into the proposal for temporary requirement, saying senior officers had unanimously agreed on it at the two-day conference.

There are about 1,400 vacancies at the level of sub-inspectors in the state police. Usually half the posts are filled through open recruitment while the other half is met from promotions. Mishra said the state police, through a screening process, could look at hiring 700 to 1,000 retired personnel.

Mishra also drew the chief minister’s attention to the need for increasing the number of civil police in Odisha. With the aspiration of people growing for good governance, there is a rising need for public services delivery by the police, besides the responsibility of security. In view of this, the strength of civil police has to be raised substantially, he said.

Mishra, who deserves kudos to a large extent for containing Maoist activities in the state, stressed that operations against the ultra-Left extremists will continue, in fact intensified with a coordinated action plan being launched to counter resurgence of Maoists in different parts of the state. Emphasising that massive counter-operations by security forces have led to many surrenders in recent times, Mishra called for introduction of a cluster housing project for families of policemen deployed in the left wing extremist-affected districts.

Although the Centre and state provide fund for housing, most of it is spent on establishment of barracks, offices and police station buildings. The cluster housing projects, where education is provided, can be a huge morale booster for the personnel fighting Naxals, he added.
The state police chief also announced to intensify highway patrolling across national highways in the state not only to make them safer for traffic but also check crime.

Odisha has national highway network of more than 3,600 km.

Mishra also emphasised the need to set up public reception centres integrated with children and women’s desks in each police station for prompt hearing of complaints, especially by or relating to women, children, senior citizens, the poor and the destitute. He said there is an urgent need to improve the police-public interface so that perceptions about the police force can be changed.

The two-day conference also stressed on a whole range of issues relating to policing,  law and order, Naxalism, changing crime scenario, economic and cyber offences and  crime against women. Special sessions on crime against women, improving response in police stations, improving highway policing, marine policing and challenges and battalion management. 

The DGP launched the new website of Odisha police: www.odishapolice.gov.in.
Addressing the conference, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said the state police need to do more to contain the Maoist menace, though it has managed to restrict their activities in several districts.

Patnaik said Maoist activities in Malkangiri, Koraput, Balangir, Rayagada, Bargarh, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur need to be contained with sustained efforts. “Unless the (Maoist) menace is curbed effectively, development of these areas will continue to suffer,” he added.