Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma has ended the stagnant process of promotion in the police by promoting over 4,000 personnel in the national capital in almost all the ranks. The long-demanded large scale promotions are aimed to boost morale and professional standards.
Praveer Ranjan, Joint Commissioner of Police (Headquarters), explaining the reason behind the large promotions said, “There has been stagnation in the lower ranks of police personnel for some time. Police constables, who had put in 27-28 years of service, had not been promoted to the rank of head constable. There was some stagnation in the other ranks as well. This was adversely affecting the morale of the police force.”
A total of 2,020 constables were promoted to the rank of head constable; 810 head constables were promoted as assistant sub-inspectors; 1,450 assistant sub-inspectors were promoted as sub-inspectors; 50 sub-inspectors were promoted as inspectors; and two inspectors were promoted to the rank of additional commissioner of police.
“The Commissioner of Police, in a review meeting held with the top officers had passed directions to expedite promotions at all levels. In accordance with the directions, the Police Headquarters undertook a massive exercise of improving the promotional prospects of all the ranks. In the current financial year, promotions to 4,332 police personnel of Delhi Police have been accorded in various ranks,” Ranjan said.
The promotions in other cadres/units have also been streamlined. These promotions will help in providing additional investigating officers to the districts and other investigating units.
Aditi Datta, a police reforms expert at Centre for Human Rights Initiative, said, “Transfers and promotions are important for effective functioning of the department as has also been directed by the Supreme Court, but compliance of the rules is significantly diluted because often police personnel are influenced by political clout. Delhi has one of the highest number of police personnel and still asks for more boots on the ground because of the high crime rate in the city and also because major government offices are located here. Promotions must not stop.”