The state government has set up a Police Recruitment Board (PRB) to fill up vacancies at the constable and police sub-inspector levels in the state.

According to official sources, the board, which will operate on the lines of the State Gaun Seva Mandal (State Subordinate Services Selection Board), will recruit 9,000 to 10,000 constables and 1,200 to 1,300 sub-inspectors in the next two years.

While Ashish Bhatia, IGP (Crime) has been assigned the responsibility for recruitment of sub-inspectors, Atul Karwal, Joint Commissioner (Ahmedadbad Traffic) has been asked to supervise the recruitments of constables.

When approached, Bhatia said that the recruitment process was yet to be started. The Mandal had started the same recruitment process earlier, but it took it a lot more time to handle the recruitment of constables and sub-inspectors as it is also responsible for the selection of personnel in all the departments of the state government.

The board has been set up keeping in view the shortage of at least 30 per cent that the police are facing in the state, particularly in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot. The setting up of the PRB was confirmed by Amitabh Pathak, Additional Director General of Police (Administration).

Police officers have been given the responsibility in order to speed up the recruitment process and fill up the backlog. Citing the success of the Police Housing Corporation that was set up to tackle the housing needs of the police department, officers said that an exclusive Police Recruitment Board will be able to handle the recruitment process and ensure that the police do not face shortage of personnel in the same way.

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