Rashi Aditi Ghosh and Ajay Vaishnav / Zee Research Group
In a heartening and significant development, the hiring of women police personnel has recorded a 32 per cent hike across India. Among states, Maharashtra has hired the maximum number of women police personnel.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau report 2011, policing in India has recorded 32 per cent increase in the allotment of women personnel against the sanctioned numbers across the country. The number of women police personnel in civil police department (including district armed police) has increased from 61174 in 2009 to 83829 in 2011. If anything, it is yet another evidence of women making their distinct mark in male dominated preserves.
NCRB report also revealed that states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Rajasthan have recorded highest number of women police personnel consecutively for three years since 2009.
Relating the increase in participation of women in police department with the inflow of positive support, Rajan Bhagat, Public Relation Officer at Delhi Police says, “I absolutely believe that Delhi has recorded an increase in recruitment of women police and the department is definitely aspiring towards better performance with a collective force that has both hard working women and men police personnel.”
Interestingly, ZRG profiling of NCRB data shows that states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Rajasthan have ranked high in per percentage share of all India crime since 2009.
Talking about the changing mindset, Sharada Raut, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IPS), Mumbai says, “Today’s women are keen to prove themselves and so, they believe in taking challenges. Emancipation of women through challenging roles would certainly increase and society will see its positive impact as well. I am not saying that men are not good at providing care but involvement of women in the department lends hand of support to them.
While the percentage share of women police personnel in overall police populace is just 6.54 per cent during 2011, it is still better than 2010 figure when it stood at 5 per cent.
Sharing the multi-tasking role that comes with the profession, Rashmi Karandikar, Superintendent of Police (SPS), Traffic at Mumbai says, “The hike in participation of women in police may be less but the increase in number is commendable as balancing personal and professional life is really tough when you have the responsibility to maintain law and order.”
Highlighting the sensitive role women personnel play while maintaining law and order, Karandika stressed: “I have personally experienced that a woman or a girl who is victimized feel free and comfortable to talk to woman police than to a male one, so whether tough or caring women are equally good at performing both the tasks.”
