Only 6 per cent of cops are women in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as safety of women is becoming a serious cause for concern, steps to enhance representation of women in police is progressing at a snail’s pace.

Despite lofty announcements by successive governments that representation of women would be enhanced to 10 per cent, over the last few years, it has increased only by one per cent to reach hardly six per cent. Direct recruitment of women sub-inspectors is also dragging on.

At present, the state police has around 3,380 women police officials, the major chunk of which are civil police officers. The number of women sub-inspectors are only 127. Of the 519 police stations in the state, women are given independent charge of station house officers only in seven police stations.

It is high time that at least one women sub-inspector is posted at each police station so that women who are victims of various crimes could take up their plight more comfortably, said women rights activist G. Rejitha.

The previous UDF government had announced direct recruitment of women as sub-inspector.

“The Public Service Commission (PSC) has initiated the selection process of about 30 women sub-inspectors and it is in the final stages of appointments,” said assistant inspector-general Mr Rahul R. Nair.

While women representation in Kerala police is only 6.11 per cent, it is 12.63 per cent in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The national average is only 6.44 per cent, whereas it is only 3.65 per cent in Andhra Pradesh and 5.21 per cent in Karnataka.

Meanwhile, a senior women IPS officer said that along with enhancing the strength of women police personnel, the state also needs to have a special police team sensitised to deal with complaints of women.