Job remains half-done for red tape

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Although the government decided to recruit 13,202 police personnel in 2006-08 fiscal years, only half the target joined the force due to bureaucratic red tape with the deadline expiring in four months.

The cabinet committee on law and order in 2006 approved an organogram to create posts and recruit 30,459 police personnel between the ranks of additional inspector general to constable in phases in five fiscal years.

According to the new organogram, 6,497 police personnel were supposed to be recruited in 2006-07FY and 6,705 others in 2007-08FY. The government in two phases has already recruited 6,968 personnel but recruitment of 6,234 remains stalled.

Police Headquarters insiders said the government made the decision considering serious manpower crisis in the force and aiming at providing more services to the people.

“The objectives of the recruitment could not be fulfilled due to unusual delay by the ministries concerned in approving the recruitment,” said a top police official asking not to be named.

Though the police HQ gave prompt and necessary reply to all queries from the establishment and finance ministries, some files for recruitment in different units remain stalled.

Even the finance division of the finance ministry expressed its “inability” to create 157 posts for the proposed Traffic, Driving and Peacekeeping School.

“We have reminded the ministry officials concerned of the necessity of creating 157 posts for the proposed school. But it seems they have turned a deaf ear to it,” said an HQ source.

The source added that files for recruiting 803 police personnel in different units as part of recruitment of 6,497 in 2006-07FY are still pending with either finance or establishment ministries.

Of them, 157 were supposed to be recruited in the proposed Traffic, Driving and Peacekeeping School, 363 in Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and Specialised Training Centre and 283 in the Police Academy.

Of the 6,705 to be recruited in 2007-08 FY, files for recruiting 5,431 remained apparently unmoved in the establishment and finance ministries, the source added.

Referring to the finance division’s inability to create the 157 posts on August 29 last year, a top police official commented: “It’s audacity. Being a civil servant no-one can express inability to give approval to a government decision.”

The official said the police headquarters in a letter raised an argument on the importance of the proposed school and made reply to some “wrong” arguments raised by the finance ministry in favour of its decision.

“The HQ also reminded the ministry that expressing inability to create necessary posts might go against the government decision. Even then it again expressed its inability,” said the official.

The salient feature of the proposed organogram of police, made for restructuring the organisational structure of Bangladesh police, was presented at the 36th cabinet committee meeting on law and order on May 22, 2006.

The secretaries of all ministries concerned attended the meeting as members of the committee.

In the meeting a proposal was placed for increasing manpower on various posts in police units. After elaborate discussion the organogram committee decided in principle to create 30,459 posts and recruit the personnel.

The meeting also decided to implement the proposed organogram in next five fiscal years in phases. Against this backdrop, the police headquarters submitted a proposal outlining year-wise recruitment of 30,459 personnel.

The proposed organogram recommended increasing the post of additional inspector general from the existing eight to 15, deputy inspector general (DIG) to 49 from 24, additional DIG to 85 from 25, superintendent of police (SP) from existing 169 to 274, additional SP from present 187 to 485, senior ASP to 581 from 188, ASP to 1,954 from 768, inspector to 3,313 from 2,171, SI to 15,172 from 10,667, sergeant to 1,224 from 1,173, ASI to 10,497 from 6,314, head constable to 7,342 from 6,395, Nayek to 6,643 from 5,635, constable to 99,442 from 85,635 and non-police officials and employees working in the force from 5,736 to 8,478.

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