The Punjab Police will recruit civilians as IT, legal, forensics and finance experts in an attempt to boost its investigation capabilities, making it the first police force in the country to induct civilians. The state government had given its nod for this restructuring.
As many as 798 experts will be recruited as plainclothes civilian support staff for the Punjab Investigation Bureau that is being remodeled as part of restructuring of the Punjab Police department.
The Punjab Bureau of Investigation has different units to deal with various types of crimes—homicide & forensic (H&F) unit, crime against women and children (CAW & C) unit, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (NDPS) unit, special crime (SC) unit, and economic offences & cyber crime (EO&CC) unit. These constitute around 14-15 per cent of the state’s total crimes.
“It is a sorry but true state of affairs that while crime and criminals are being updated with every passing minute, we still are working and investigating in the same, archival ways. If we have to match up to them, we need to have the best people investigating the crimes. This will not just speed up closures and eventual convictions, but also reduce pendency. We are headed for Punjab Police overhauling for efficient investigations and making it world class,” the cabinet had observed.
The restructuring of the police unit will enable the bureau to make direct recruitment to the ranks of sub-inspectors, head constables and constables, which will be done in a revenue neutral manner by abolishing 4,849 existing posts, ensuring that there is no additional financial burden on the state exchequer.
The restructuring, according to the government, will help improve efficiency, reduce delays and ensure effective supervision of investigations. The move will infuse fresh blood that will bring in the requisite skill sets, expertise and experience to carry out specialised investigations, besides giving more job opportunities for educated youths—graduates in law, forensics, commerce and other domains—in the state.
The cabinet has also approved 'the Punjab police investigation cadre subordinate ranks (appointment and conditions of service) rules, 2020' to govern the recruitment, appointment and conditions of service in the subordinate ranks (constables to inspectors) of the Punjab Bureau of Investigation cadre.
