Deputy Chief Minister in charge of the Home Department, Prestone Tynsong, informed the House on Thursday that the police department in Meghalaya is taking steps to address manpower shortages, including the recruitment of nearly 3,000 personnel, even as vacancies continue to arise due to retirements and other factors.
Responding to a question raised by the VPP MLA from Nongkrem, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit during the Question Hour of the ongoing budget session of the Assembly, Tynsong presented the current and actual strength of police personnel across various units.
He stated that police stations have a sanctioned strength of 1,843 personnel but an actual strength of 1,431, while police outposts have a sanctioned strength of 503 and an actual strength of 380.
In the traffic branch, the sanctioned strength is 439 with an actual strength of 368. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has 121 sanctioned posts with 107 filled, while the Special Branch (SB) has 580 sanctioned posts with 546 personnel in position. Altogether, the sanctioned strength stands at 3,486 against an actual strength of 2,832.
He also informed that there is no separate sanctioned strength for the police reserve, as manpower is drawn from the District Executive Force (DEF) as required. Currently, 859 personnel are deployed in police reserve across the 12 districts.
Responding to queries on the police-population ratio, Tynsong said that as per the guidelines of the Bureau of Police Research and Development, the recommended ratio is about 197 personnel per lakh population, adding that the state broadly meets the criteria. He further stated that the state has 86 police stations, with each police station roughly having 50 to 60 personnel.
The Deputy Chief Minister informed that the recruitment process for approximately 3,000 personnel has been completed and results have already been declared, with appointment orders to be issued soon. However, he noted that vacancies continue to arise regularly due to retirement and other reasons, and currently more than 1,000 vacancies still exist. He assured the House that recruitment would be conducted regularly to fill emerging gaps.
Tynsong also said that the government has decided that whenever new police stations or outposts are created, manpower sanctions will be issued simultaneously to avoid shortages in the future. He added that the department will examine cases where police personnel are engaged in non-policing duties to prevent misuse.
Earlier, VPP MLA from Nongkrem, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit who raised this question pointed out the shortfall in police personnel and sought clarification on the police-population ratio as recommended by the national bureau. He also asked about steps to bridge the manpower gap, noting that several police stations are facing severe shortages.
TMC MLA from Nongthymmai, Charles Pyngrope, raised concerns about recurring understaffing and suggested increasing manpower beyond the prescribed norms so that sudden vacancies due to retirement or death do not affect functioning.