Out of staggering vacancy of 5.28 lakh across the country, Uttar Pradesh leads the pack with nearly 1.29 lakh vacant posts in the uniformed ranks followed by 50,000 in Bihar and 49,000 in West Bengal. It has negatively impacted both police-population ratio and law and order situation.
The sanctioned strength of police forces of all States is 23,79,728 but only 18,51,332 policemen were on the rolls as on January 1, 2018, according to Union Home Ministry data.
As many as 5,28,396 posts were lying vacant as on January 1 this year.
Uttar Pradesh, which is the most populous State in the country, has a sanctioned strength of 4,14,492 posts in its police ranks but has an actual strength of 2,85,540 personnel. This puts the vacancy in police in the state at 1,28,952.
Bihar has an actual strength of 77,995 police personnel against a sanctioned strength of 1,28,286 posts, leaving 50,291 posts vacant.
The West Bengal Police has 48,981 vacant posts out of the sanctioned strength of 1,40,904 police personnel.
Telangana has a shortfall of 30,345 posts in its police hierarchy out of the sanctioned strength of 76,407 personnel.
Interestingly, the Nagaland Police is the only force in the country which is overstaffed as it has 941 more personnel than its sanctioned strength of 21,292 posts.
Maharashtra has a vacancy of 26,195 posts in its police force out of the sanctioned limit of 2,40,224 personnel and Madhya Pradesh has 22,355 vacant posts against a total strength of 1,15,731 posts.
Likewise, Tamil Nadu Police has 22,420 posts vacant against its sanctioned strength of 1,24,130 personnel.
The Karnataka Police is facing a vacancy of 21,943 posts as against the total
sanctioned strength of 1,00,243 personnel.
Similarly, Gujarat Police has a vacancy figure of 21,070 posts against the desired total strength of 1,09,337 and Jharkhand Police has a vacancy of 18,931 uniformed personnel against a total strength of 79,950 personnel.
Rajasthan too has 18,003 vacant posts out of its total desirable strength of 1,06,232 policemen.
The Andhra Pradesh Police is facing a shortfall of 17,933 policemen out of the total 72,176 positions. Haryana has 16,844 vacant posts as against the sanctioned strength of 61,346 posts in the police.
Naxal-hit Chhattisgah has 11,916 vacant posts in contrast to the total requirement of 71,606 posts. Odisha Police is also facing a shortfall of 10,322 men in the police ranks as against approved strength of 66,973 posts.
Insurgency-hit Assam has 11,452 vacant posts against sanctioned strength of 65,987 personnel. Jammu & Kashmir has 10,044 posts vacant as per the sanctioned strength of 87,882 posts.
Officials attributed the large number of vacancies in the States to slow recruitment process, retirement and untimely deaths besides the overall lack of will for a proper police: police ratio for an improved law and order machinery.