THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Soon, three of every 10 civil police officers (CPOs) appointed in the state will be women, as Kerala Police undertake a significant overhaul of the CPO recruitment process. In a letter to additional chief secretary (home), State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar proposed changing the male-female recruitment ratio for CPOs from the existing 9:1 to 7:3, which will eventually lead to achieving the target of one-third female officers in the state.
Sources in the police force said the recommendations have been reviewed by the home department and are currently with the chief minister’s office. Since the initiative is part of the UDF government’s 100-day action plan which wraps up by October 9, the proposal is likely to be reviewed by the cabinet soon.
The Public Service Commission handles the recruitment of male and female police personnel via separate marklists. It was later proposed that every 10th CPO vacancy should be reserved for women. Now, the latest proposal, if approved, would mean that the first seven vacancies will be reserved for men and the subsequent three for women constables.
Terming it a revolutionary step in the state’s history, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said it was high time the representation of women was increased in all domains, including the police force.
He said the move will also bring about a change in the public’s outlook towards the police. “At least 50% of our population is women. The move should be seen as the continuation of the government’s decision to appoint 63 women as SHOs in the state,” Chennithala told TNIE.
‘Proposal will bring change in policing culture’
IG (HQ) Harshita Attaluri said women currently make up only around 9-10% of the police force. “We aim to raise this to 33%. If this proposal gets the nod, it could bring about major changes in policing culture,” she said.
“There are several tasks that women police officers handle, including taking statements of women who were victims of a crime, survivors in Pocso-related offences and even in house raids,” the IG said, adding that the proposal was aimed at making the police a reflection of society too through increased female participation.
