‘Funds for police upkeep are wasted’

NEW DELHI: States have been misspending funds allotted for modernisation of police forces, a scheme of crucial importance to enable them to meet the growing challenges of internal security, according to a Parliamentary Committee.

More than 50 per cent of the funds provided for modernisation of police forces in states go in housing and police buildings.

Vital elements for modernisation like weaponry and training get a negligible amount and just about a fifth of the whole goes into mobility. A mid-term evaluation of the state police forces modernisation scheme by the Bureau of Police Research and Development found that states spent two to a maximum of 13 per cent on the purchase of weaponry, and one to six per cent on training.

Parliament’s Standing Committee on Home Affairs observed that new technological advances were taking place at ‘feverish pitch’ while the police function with age-old equipment. It said the scheme should concentrate on improving technology and providing IT facilities.