Stations men-only domains
The then CM Anandiben Patel had announced 33 per reservation for women in police force in 2014
Gujarat’s boast of gender parity in the police force is a joke. Of the 48 police stations in Ahmedabad, only one woman is police station in-charge and that too by default — she is in-charge of two mahila police stations in east and west Ahmedabad. The 33 per cent reservation for women in the police force has done little to correct the lopsided ratio in empowering women to head police stations, which rests with senior police inspectors (PI). Mumbai police recently took steps to correct this by appointing eight women police inspectors as senior PIs, underscoring an urgency for a similar push in Ahmedabad.
While the east and west women police stations have a woman PI as incharge, 46 police stations are manned by male station in-charge.
Asenior police inspector or station in-charge administers police stations, manages staff, plans the duty chart and takes decisions on allotment of duty to policemen attached to a police station. All 46 police stations in city have males as senior PIs.
33% quota for women
The push for a greater representation for women in the police force came in June 2014, when Anandiben Patel, the first woman chief minister announced 33 per cent reservation for women in police force during passing out parade of DySPs at Karai Police Academy. Several young women recruited subsequently joined as Lok Rakshak Dal, police sub-inspectors and even police inspectors.
But a woman police inspector as police station in-charge is a rarity. Maharashtra on the other hand announced 30 per cent reservation for women in police force in February 2016.
Top women cops from Gujarat believe real empowerment comes only from adequate representation in higher posts. But the job of police station in-charge is tough with a dedicated 15 hours on the job, working odd hours, handling station administration and dealing with problems such as insufficient staff — a reason why women may be shunning the post. It has nothing to do with gender, a woman cop said.
Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja said, “We have 33 per cent reservation for women in police force and we gave the first woman DGP, Geetha Johri, to Gujarat. Several IPS officers are superintendent of police (SP) in districts and departments of police force.
We have police station in-charge at various police stations in Gujarat. We have plans to appoint women as police station in-charge in the city in the future.” There are 27,000 women in police force in the state on posts ranging from LRD to ACP. The total strength of the force is 97,000 which makes women representation about 25 per cent instead of 33 per cent.
Dr KLN Rao, in-charge police commissioner of Ahmedabad city told Mirror, “We welcome the Mumbai Police initiative to appoint eight women police inspectors as police station in-charge. We will also appoint senior women police inspectors in Ahmedabad. We have sufficient number of women PIs in city and appointments as senior PIs will be made when we have adequate numbers. The 2010 PSI batch will be soon promoted.”
DGP, CID crime, and chairman PSI recruitment board said, “All recruitments after 2014 have been made as per 33 per cent reservation criteria for women. Even backlog of women recruitment is being filled up. Before 2014, women representation in the force was just six per cent which has increased to 19 per cent in 2018. The process for new recruitment in police force to fill up 18,500 posts is on and it has 33 per cent women reservation.”
Mahisagar SP Usha Rada said, “I welcome the initiative by Mumbai Police and believe that it can be replicated in Ahmedabad. There are several police stations in Gujarat where women police inspectors are station in-charge. This is possible in Ahmedabad city also. But appointments must be made purely on performance and responsibility should be given only if performance fits the job profile.”
Asenior IPS officer who has served as SP in Gujarat told Mirror on condition of anonymity, “I have observed a reluctance in women police inspectors to take up responsibility as station incharge. They prefer general duties and avoid night duty and a station in-charge’s responsibility is tough. But there is a perceptible shift in this mindset in the past five years and women police personnel have played key roles in the police department. We will definitely see more women police inspectors as station in-charge in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat cities.”
While the east and west women police stations have a woman PI as incharge, 46 police stations are manned by male station in-charge.
Asenior police inspector or station in-charge administers police stations, manages staff, plans the duty chart and takes decisions on allotment of duty to policemen attached to a police station. All 46 police stations in city have males as senior PIs.
33% quota for women
The push for a greater representation for women in the police force came in June 2014, when Anandiben Patel, the first woman chief minister announced 33 per cent reservation for women in police force during passing out parade of DySPs at Karai Police Academy. Several young women recruited subsequently joined as Lok Rakshak Dal, police sub-inspectors and even police inspectors.
But a woman police inspector as police station in-charge is a rarity. Maharashtra on the other hand announced 30 per cent reservation for women in police force in February 2016.
Top women cops from Gujarat believe real empowerment comes only from adequate representation in higher posts. But the job of police station in-charge is tough with a dedicated 15 hours on the job, working odd hours, handling station administration and dealing with problems such as insufficient staff — a reason why women may be shunning the post. It has nothing to do with gender, a woman cop said.
Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja said, “We have 33 per cent reservation for women in police force and we gave the first woman DGP, Geetha Johri, to Gujarat. Several IPS officers are superintendent of police (SP) in districts and departments of police force.
We have police station in-charge at various police stations in Gujarat. We have plans to appoint women as police station in-charge in the city in the future.” There are 27,000 women in police force in the state on posts ranging from LRD to ACP. The total strength of the force is 97,000 which makes women representation about 25 per cent instead of 33 per cent.
Dr KLN Rao, in-charge police commissioner of Ahmedabad city told Mirror, “We welcome the Mumbai Police initiative to appoint eight women police inspectors as police station in-charge. We will also appoint senior women police inspectors in Ahmedabad. We have sufficient number of women PIs in city and appointments as senior PIs will be made when we have adequate numbers. The 2010 PSI batch will be soon promoted.”
DGP, CID crime, and chairman PSI recruitment board said, “All recruitments after 2014 have been made as per 33 per cent reservation criteria for women. Even backlog of women recruitment is being filled up. Before 2014, women representation in the force was just six per cent which has increased to 19 per cent in 2018. The process for new recruitment in police force to fill up 18,500 posts is on and it has 33 per cent women reservation.”
Mahisagar SP Usha Rada said, “I welcome the initiative by Mumbai Police and believe that it can be replicated in Ahmedabad. There are several police stations in Gujarat where women police inspectors are station in-charge. This is possible in Ahmedabad city also. But appointments must be made purely on performance and responsibility should be given only if performance fits the job profile.”
Asenior IPS officer who has served as SP in Gujarat told Mirror on condition of anonymity, “I have observed a reluctance in women police inspectors to take up responsibility as station incharge. They prefer general duties and avoid night duty and a station in-charge’s responsibility is tough. But there is a perceptible shift in this mindset in the past five years and women police personnel have played key roles in the police department. We will definitely see more women police inspectors as station in-charge in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat cities.”
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