Transfer policy of Delhi Police under PMO lens
The transfer policy of Delhi Police has come under the lens of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The PMO has sought full details of the existing strength of the force from the lowest rank to the topmost. The topmost office of the county has asked the Delhi Police top brass to provide the posting details of men and officers as that would help in creating a database for ensuring better manpower utilisation and performance of the force. The PMO’s directive has been routed to Delhi Police by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Delhi Police boasts of 78,000 men and officers. According to a rough estimate, there are some 15,000 personnel of all rank in Delhi Police who have put in more than 10 years in sensitive postings.
The MHA has sent the PMO directive to the Delhi Police Headquarters and asked the top brass to comply within the stipulated time-frame. Mahesh Batra, the Additional DCP at Police Head Quarters (PHQ) and the in-charge of the Central Computerised Cell of Delhi Police, has written a letter to all the heads of districts, units and cell and has asked them to comply within the time-frame. The letter issued by Batra states: “To compile the information and facilitate district/units of Delhi Police, Information Technology Centre, Police Headquarters, has developed a programme for the same. A link of the same is provided as homepage of INTRADP. Kindly direct the concerned to collect the same from every employee under your control.” The PHQ has asked all the concerned officials to provide every detail about the tenure of postings and areas where they reside respectively.
The directive by the PMO has set in motion a process that may unseat many favourite men and officers of Delhi Police who have wrangled key postings owing to their proximity with the powers to be. It is a well-known fact that many pulls and pressures are exerted on Delhi Police Commissioner and other officers manning key posts for transfers and postings. Districts, Crime Branch and Traffic are three sensitive departments in Delhi Police while rest of its wings such as licencing, Special Branch, Special Cell, Delhi Armed Police (DAP), Police Control Room (PCR), Vigilance, Crime Against Women (VAW) Cell, Security Unit, Provisioning and logistics, Police Training College (PTC), Communications, legal Cell, Diplomatic Security Force and land and Building unit fall under the category of non-sensitive units.
As a matter of policy and rules issued by Delhi Police Commissioners in the form of standing orders, Delhi Police personnel can remain posted in a district for a maximum period of six years, three years in Crime Branch and Traffic Police respectively. lower and upper-subordinates are supposed to be moved to B-category postings once they have completed their tenures in the sensitive units and those in B-category to C-category. He or she then can move to the A-category that is posting in a police station, Traffic Police or Crime Branch after completing tenure under C-category.
The move by the PMO may unseat many Inspectors and Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs) who continue to get plum postings as Station House Officers (SHOs) and ACPs in Sub-Divisions while talented but less fortunate ones languish in non-sensitive units. There is a full-fledged establishment board in Delhi Police that is supposed to take the call on transfers and postings of the lower and subordinates but many a times it’s overruled when individual police personnel manage to put pressure from the Central Ministers and bureaucrats. “With the initiative of the PMO, the nexus may cease to exist and there will be fair play in deciding transfers and postings in Delhi Police,” said a police official pleading anonymity.