With several police stations facing crunch of personnel, the State Government has decided to deploy at least 3,000 armed police jawans in various police stations to boost civil policing.
Over last two decades, duties and responsibilities of the civil police have increased manifold despite acute shortage staffs.
In addition to routine maintenance of law and order and preventing crimes, police personnel are now being engaged in community policing, manning reception centres and Mahila and Shishu desks, controlling cyber crimes and combating Maoists.
With presence of more than 30,000 armed police forces and around 18,000 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), Odisha needs much more Armed Forces to combat Maoists in as many as 21 districts.
Odisha is likely to get one more battalion of Central forces for combating Red rebels soon, sources said.
Though sanctioned strength of civil police has increased over the years, it has remained marginal because of adhoc approach. A systematic study needs to be done to strengthen the civil police, feel senior IPS officers.
At least 50 per cent of Sub-Inspector posts are lying vacant. As per statistics on requirement of police personnel population wise and area wise, Odisha is in a much lower stage vis-à-vis national average. Odisha has 81.05 police personnel per one lakh of population as compared to national average of 145.02, as per the statistics of the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPRD).
Similarly, the State has 21.51 police personnel per 100 square km against national average 55.75.
To raise police strength to the national level, Odisha needs at least 8,000 more cops.
Under this backdrop, the State Government has decided to take the services of at least 3,000 armed police forces to fill up the gaps in the police stations, said sources.
The Home Department is working out a five-year prospective plan to strengthen civil policing system, sources added.