A nearly 21 per cent increase has been witnessed in the numbers of female personnel in various State units of the police force in India, according to the annual report, Data on Police Organisation (DoPo), released on Thursday.
The total percentage of female officers in the police force in India is 8.73 per cent.
“There has been a 20.95 per cent increase in the strength of woman police which pushed up the total number of women personnel in the State Police Forces to 169,550. It brings the total percentage of women in the Indian Police Force to 8.73 per cent,” an Indian Home Ministry statement said.
Monika Bhardwaj, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP, North), Delhi Police, told Sputnik it’s a very “positive development” as women are required more and more in the police force.
“Every day, we are inching closer to the government target of inducting 50 per cent women into the force.”
The police officer explained this growth was the result of a conscious effort on the part of police to recruit more females. “When one woman joins the force, she becomes a role model for many who aspire to the same.”
She added that special drives carried out in Delhi and other States to recruit more women have also helped the cause.
With an increased number of women in the police forces, comes more security for women. However, the recent report of India’s crime regulator agency National Crime Records Bureau pointed out the total number of crimes reported against women in 2017 stood at 359,000, up from 338,000 recorded in 2016.
Addressing the issue, the officer said the increased participation of women would bring down the rate of crime against women.
“In India, women are hesitant and uncomfortable talking to male officers about physical or sexual assaults on them. Female cops can empathise with women victims, and for this reason, more women come forward to report crimes against them.”
Incidentally, India’s capital city of Delhi has seen a decline in crime against women for the third consecutive year.
Nearly, 13,076 FIRs were registered in 2017, down from 15,310 in 2016 and 17,222 in 2015. The city at one point was making the headlines for the rising number of incidents, especially sexual assaults, against women.
The overall police to population ratio, as per the report, has also shown a marginal increase with the rate now standing at 192.95 police officers per 100,000 population.