Driven by a desire to give back to the city he grew up in, Rakesh (name changed) decided to join the police force in Bengaluru after his engineering degree. He was recruited as a constable a few years ago, but the corruption and long hours, with little support, proved to be starkly different from his dreams.
As his friends move up the corporate ladder, Rakesh is frustrated, but unable to forgo the ₹50,000 he gave as indemnity bond at the time of recruitment. If he quits before five years, he forfeits it. For sub-inspectors, the bond was set at ₹1 lakh.
Now, however, the Home department has doubled the bond amount. From September 1, newly-recruited constables must pay ₹1 lakh, and sub-inspectors ₹2 lakh. The money will be returned only after five years of service.
“Increasing the indemnity bond will help reduce attrition,” said Raghavendra H. Auradkar, head, recruitment and training division of the State Police Department.
Across the State, young, disillusioned recruits are seeking greener pastures. In 2004, only 0.8% of constables and sub- inspectors left before putting in five years. Last year, the figure soared to 40%.
Faced with a shrinking force, Director General and Inspector General of Police, R.K. Dutta, in a September 1 circular noted that the Home Department was not only wasting time and resources recruiting and training personnel, but depriving desirable candidates of a slot. While officials feel increasing the indemnity bond will serve a purpose, the rank and file are not convinced.
Ramesh Kumar (name changed), a post-graduate working as a constable in Bengaluru is trying to change his profession, even though he will lose his bond money.
“It’s not the job that I’m unhappy with, but the attitude of higher-ups. The constant humiliation and verbal abuse is demotivating,” he said.
Lapsing from idealism to bitterness and regret, he is now preparing for the civil service exams, and is open to working in the corporate sector. The Police department found most recruits who had left to be highly qualified with graduate and even post-graduate degrees. “Many were biding their time and using our training as a launch pad for jobs in security in the corporate sector,” said a senior police officer.