Nearly quarter of law and order police stations in Bengaluru function without full-time inspectors

Nearly 30 Bengaluru police stations lack full-time inspectors, impacting complaint registration and investigations amid significant staff vacancies.

Nearly 30 law and order police stations in Bengaluru are operating without full-time inspectors (station house officers), at least five senior police officers confirmed to The Hindu. Alos, five traffic police stations in the city are also without inspectors.

There are 116 law and order, 53 traffic, nine CEN and eight women’s police stations in the city. This essentially means nearly a quarter of law and order police stations in the city are currently without the officers.

The vacant posts are partly being filled by inspectors from other police stations holding additional charge, according to police sources. What’s more, nearly 60% of inspectors in city police stations have completed two years in their posts and are awaiting transfer orders amid mounting vacancies. In addition, several Assistant Commissioners of Police are also due for transfer.

According to data, of the 20,000 sanctioned posts for the Bengaluru city police, only 15,000 have been filled, with the rest lying vacant, highlighting the workload on existing staff. “Even with the current strength, 20% to 30% of personnel are deputed to bandobast duty near places such as Freedom Park or at event venues,” a senior officer told The Hindu.

The police stations where the SHOs are holding additional charge include Malleswaram, Vivek Nagar, Cubbon Park, Jalahalli, Sadashivanagar (where the inspector is on long leave), and Jnanabharathi. The list also includes Upparpet and Chamarajpet, both considered highly sensitive, as well as Byadarahalli, which has a substantial number of rowdy-sheeters and frequently witnesses murders.

In some cases, the stations are so crucial that senior officers have withheld relieving orders to ensure that vacancies do not affect investigations and workflow.