The Hindu : Front Page : Police to have economic offences wing

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Sunday, May 25, 2008
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Police to have economic offences wing

Special Correspondent

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan says the police force will be modernised.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government proposes to initiate a clutch of measures to modernise the Kerala Police, including creation of an economic offences wing to investigate illegal amassment of wealth, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said.

At a meet-the-press to mark the second anniversary of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government here on Saturday, Mr. Balakrishnan said the government also proposed to recruit women directly as Sub-Inspectors (SIs) and merge the Armed Reserve wing with the local police so that more personnel would become available for maintenance of law and order. The measure will make some 8,000 hands available additionally for local policing. Mr. Balakrishnan said the government had taken steps to ensure periodic recruitment of police constables so that the shortfall of some 3,000 constables was bridged. The government had held discussions with the Public Service Commission (PSC) on the subject and the PSC had agreed to go in for recruitment to fill anticipated vacancies.

On the eligibility criteria for selection of women as SIs, he said there would be appropriate relaxations in the criteria.

Mr. Balakrishnan said the general educational qualifications of the constabulary had gone up over the past few years. The government would now stipulate that only those with a pass in Plus Two would be eligible for selection as police constables.

The government, he said, had received the draft report relating to the proposal for amendment of the Kerala Police Act after it was vetted by a committee chaired by the former Supreme Court judge V.R. Krishna Iyer. It would now be examined by the Law Department. Mr. Balakrishnan said the eight-hour duty norm would be extended to 17 more police stations soon and constables on guard duty at 51 more police stations would be given revolvers. The Centre had agreed to allow the State government to hire speedboats so that the scheme for opening eight coastal police stations could take off.

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