3 Cops for Each VIP, just 1 Cop for 761 Citizens

[Vishwarupa]

New Delhi: VIP security and not law and order seems to be the top-most priority for most state governments as nearly double the alloted number of policemen have been deployed to guard 16,788 prominent people across the country.


According to a Home Ministry report, these 16,788 VIPs, mostly ministers, MPs, MLAs, judges and bureaucrats, were guarded by 50,059 policemen in 25 states and Union Territories in 2010 for six months or more.


Interestingly, only 28,298 police personnel were actually sanctioned to be deployed for protection to these VIPs in that year.


The story was worse in 2009 when more than double than the actual alloted strength of policemen were deployed to provide security to 17,451 VIPs across the country.


The alloted strength of policemen for VIP security in that year was 23,637 but actually 47,355 police personnel were deployed to protect these prominent people.


During 2010, the maximum of 3,030 VIPs were given protection in Bihar followed by 1,685 in Punjab and 1,640 in West Bengal.


For protection of VIPs, Punjab deployed the maximum of 5,410 police personnel followed by 5,001 security men by National Capital Territory Delhi and 3,958 by Andhra Pradesh in 2010.


The report, released by Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday, said manpower for protected persons' protection duty is drawn from available resources generally without corresponding increase in sanctioned strength for the purpose.

"The increase in the protected persons' protection deployment has strained the already limited manpower resources of state police. Therefore, there is a need for periodic review of the deployment of police for protected persons' protection against need based assessment coupled with proportionate increase in the sanctioned and professionally trained manpower commensurate to the bona fide protected persons' protection requirements," the report said.


The report, prepared by Bureau of Police Research and Development, said as on January 1, 2011, the actual strength of the police personnel for per lakh population was 131.39 against the sanctioned posts of 173.51.


The total police-population ratio (total sanctioned number of police personnel available for per lakh population) has shown wide variations across the country.


The most populous states have relatively much less sanctioned strength of police men than warranted by their total population.


West Bengal has just 81 police personnel for per lakh population, followed by 88 personnel in Bihar, 115 in Madhya Pradesh and 118 in Rajasthan against the national average of 174 policemen for per lakh population.


Sparsely populated states like Tripura has 1,124 police men for per lakh population, 1,147 personnel in Manipur and 1,112 in Mizoram.

WTF!!!Look at the way our government is protecting general public and how government is protected by common people like us.
we are paying for their security in the form of tax
.

 

[Tronic]

Security is nothing but a status symbol to these so called "VIPs". I don't see exactly what makes them so important that they can flaunt around their power with our tax money.

 

[Ray]

To imagine that half of them are doddering fogeys on the way to God as it is in the most natural of ways - Decay!

 

[sob]

The more number of Guards higher is your pecking order in the system.

Both Mulayam and Mayawati have Black Cats giving them security,, WTF do they need it.

Another person is Pranab Da he is doing such a fine job ruining the economy who in the correct mind will even think of hurting him.

AAM Aadmi looks good only in the slogan.

 

[GUNS-N- ROSES]

having a policeman accompany u to a wedding or function is a symbol of power in india. it means u have arrived in political sense. i dont think any political party has guts to overhaul the system.

 

[ejazr]

The Centre should bring a mandatory law so that states spend a minimum of atleast 2% of their SGDP on internal security and police particularly the big states and bring some accountability on the states. Increase the wages for lower police staff by 100% to double them and also double the number of police officers in the state in a time bound manner. We should have atleast 1 police personnel for evey 350 people.

For the status symbol VIP guards, get the state govt. to outsource bodyguard duties to private security companies. That way, man power is released and the VIPs get their bodyguards.

What is shocking is that in 2006 the PIB release said that the ratio was 1lakh: 142 and by 2011 it has come down instead of going up to 1 lakh: 137. The states lagging behind in recruitment should be named and shamed.

 

[Tronic]

having a policeman accompany u to a wedding or function is a symbol of power in india. it means u have arrived in political sense. i dont think any political party has guts to overhaul the system.

No, no political sense involved. It is simply a blatant show of power, nothing more.

Also, these chaps go beyond merely having security accompany them!

A few years back, at my cousin's wedding, I had a certain Punjab ex-Chief Minister's son get his guards to fire a lobby of bullets with their ak-47s up into the air in celebration. It was ridiculous, and very illegal. He was lucky to have no one hurt.