Several crime-prone districts like Meerut and Muzaffarnagar have seen eight police chiefs in the period, with an average tenure of nearly three months.

The state has over 90 IPS officers who have faced at least five transfers in the last two years. The IPS cadre strength of Uttar Pradesh is a little over 400.

Retired DGP Sri Ram Arun said no officer can deliver results without having tenure of at least two to three years in a district. “Every district has its own problems and issues. An IPS officer needs time to make his action plan,” he said.

Since transfers are always ordered “in public interest”, an officer said, “What public interest can be served by giving officers tenures as short as a week at a place?”

Besides affecting policing, frequent transfers also play havoc with the families of officers. “The biggest sufferer is the family. Imagine you have little children who have to change school so often,” said an officer.

Another officer pointed out that the most abused position in the state is of SP, Intelligence. “It is like a transit visa. IPS officers are posted and removed from the intelligence wing within a week,” he said. 

* Ajay Anand: 10 postings
Shortest tenure: Nearly two weeks as DIG, ATS, Lucknow
Longest tenure: 3 months and 15 days as SSP, Bareilly
Current posting: Waiting for posting

* Navin Arora: 10 postings
Shortest tenure: Nearly 10 days as Commandant, 32nd battalion, Lucknow
Longest tenure: Nearly five months as SP, Agra
Current posting: SP, Intelligence Headquarters, Lucknow

*R K Srivastawa: 11 postings
Shortest tenure: 16 days as Commandant, PAC, 27th battalion, Sitapur.
Longest tenure: Nearly six-and-a-half months as SP, Pratapgarh
Current posting: Commandant, PAC, 20th Battalion, Azamgarh

* Ajay Kumar Mishra: 11 postings
Shortest tenure: Four days as SP, CB-CID, Lucknow
Longest tenure: Nearly four months as SSP, Etawah
Current posting: Under suspension

* Love Kumar: 10 postings
Shortest Tenure: 14 days as SP, Deoriya
Longest Tenure: About 10 months as SP, Kanshiram Nagar.
Current posting: SP of Kushinagar

* Ashok Kumar Singh: 8 postings
Shortest Tenure: Two days as SSP of Meerut
Longest Tenure: Nearly five months as SSP of Kanpur
Current posting: SSP of Gautam Buddha Nagar

* Abhay Kumar Prasad: 10 postings
Shortest Tenure: 25 days as DIG of Devipatan range in Gonda
Longest Tenure: Nearly four months as the DIG/SSP, Gorakhpur
Current posting: SSP, PHQ, Allahabad

* Aditya Mishra: 7 postings
Since he was on study leave from September 17, 2007 to September 20, 2008, it means seven transfers in one year.
Shortest tenure: Nine days as DIG/SSP, Gorakhpur
Longest tenure: About two-and-a-half month as DIG, Meerut.
Current posting: DIG/SSP, Bareilly

* Shachi Ghildyal: 7 postings
Shortest tenure: About one-and-a-half month as SP, Intelligence, Faizabad
Longest tenure: More than six months as SP, Chitrakoot
Current posting: SP, SIT