To help reduce some burden from short-staffed Maharashtra Police, the state home department has initiated the process of hiring 6,800 constables for the force.
In the backdrop of death of constables during physical tests in 2014, the hiring of the fresh candidates is being done under the new rules. The distance for the running test has been brought down from 5km to 1.6km for male aspirants (to be covered within 4.5 minutes) and from 3km to 800metres for women aspirants (to be covered in 2.5 minutes).
The fresh hiring is also following new norms for age limit. For general category, the limit has been increased from 25 to 28 years and from 30 to 33 years for the reserved category.
"We are currently conducting the physical tests. The process should be complete in a month's time and we should have new constables joining us from July," said Vijay Satbir Singh, principal secretary, home department.
The police force is believed to be heavily short-staffed and this is one of the reasons why the crime rate has not come under control. As per a reply to an RTI query by activist Anil Galgali in 2015, Mumbai alone has 2,000 vacant posts for policemen. There are several police stations in the city with a shortage of around 40 to 60 men.
What is more shocking is the fact that out of 12,115 vacant posts, around 2,708 are of police sub-inspector — the backbone of every police police station.
Galgali had sought the information from the state DGP headquarters. The application wanted details about the total number of employees, sanctioned posts and vacant posts. The reply revealed that out of a total of 2,19,986 posts in Maharashtra Police department, 2,07,871 are filled.
On receiving the details, Galgali wrote a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to fill vacant posts immediately to relive the police force from stress. Galgali claimed that many a times they work in inhuman conditions despite the fact that there is so much pressure and stress on the job.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "recruit")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}