Police organizations in India are mandated to take all measures to eliminate discrimination and ensure equality. Each police organization is bound to guarantee the rights to equality, non-discrimination, and equality of opportunity.
Increasing the numbers and role of women in the police forces has slowly gained policy recognition in India. The government of India reiterates gender diversity in police forces as an important measure for affording greater protection and preventing crimes against women.
Strength of women in Police
The total strength of Women in police forces from 2014 to 2019 has shown an increasing trend.
- At present, the actual strength of total woman police (Civil+ DAR+ Special Armed+ IRB) is 2,15,504 in the country, showing an increase of 16.05%, over the strength of 1,85,696 in 2018.
-At State/UT level, the maximum i.e 29,112 woman police personnel are working in Uttar Pradesh
-Out of the total number of 29,249 Woman Police Personnel, the highest number is 8,631 in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
-The percentage of Women Police is 10.30% of the Actual Strength of the total Police force in the country
-The Woman Population per Woman Police (WPWP) is 3,026.89
At the national level, the Actual Strength of Woman Police:
- 5,979 women police officers are working in traffic police
- 3,632 women officials are working under Special Branch dealing with Intelligence
-516 women police officers are currently working in Special Police Units against Insurgency, Extremism and Terrorism
Reservation for women:
In 2009, 33% was laid down as the benchmark target for women’s representation in the police force. Apart from Union Territories,only 10 states have above 33 % reservation for women.10 States have 30% or below reservation for women and 9 States have no reservation for women.
The central government has also carved out roles for women police to prompt greater recruitment.
- In 2013, the Ministry of Home Affairs recommended each police station to have at least three women Sub-Inspectors and ten women police Constables to ensure women help desks are staffed at all times
- In 2015, the Ministry proposed creating Investigative Units for Crimes against Women (IUCAW) at police stations in crime-prone districts across states. These units are to be constituted on a cost-sharing basis between the Centre and the states, with around 15 specialized investigators dealing specifically with crimes against women. Of the 15 staff, at least one-third are required to be women.
- The Central Government issues advisories to the States for increasing number of women in the police forces.
- States have also been advised to strengthen welfare measures such as provision of housing and medical facilities and necessary facilities for women police personnel in Police Stations
More and more women are participating in the development initiatives both in the public and private sectors of the economy. The ratio of women in the workforce is increasing correspondingly in both the urban and rural areas of the country. The presence of women in all leadership positions from the Panchayats to the Parliament is increasing in visible numbers. It is a necessary ingredient for good governance.
WhatsApp us