Bhubaneswar: Odisha Director General of Police Y.B. Khurania, an IPS officer of 1990 batch, has highlighted a severe manpower shortage in the state police force, revealing that more than 33,000 police posts are currently vacant across various ranks. He said the shortage has placed an additional burden on serving personnel and stressed the need for expediting recruitment to strengthen policing across the state.
Speaking to reporters in Cuttack on Wednesday while responding to questions regarding the resignation of Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagmohan Mena, the DGP said Odisha’s police strength remains inadequate for its growing population.
Odisha Ranks Low in Police-Population Ratio
Highlighting the staffing challenge, DGP Khurania said Odisha performs poorly in terms of the population-to-police ratio, forcing police personnel to shoulder greater responsibilities compared to their counterparts in many other states.
“If you look at the population-to-police ratio statistics, Odisha ranks very low. Because of that, they have to work much harder compared to other states to maintain effective law enforcement and public safety,” he said.
According to the DGP, addressing this imbalance is essential for ensuring efficient policing and improving public safety across the state.
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17,000 New Posts Approved by Chief Minister
Khurania said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has recently approved the creation of 17,000 new police postsas part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the police force.
These newly sanctioned posts, combined with approximately 16,000 existing vacancies, have taken the total number of positions to be filled to over 33,000.
The move is expected to significantly enhance the state’s policing capacity once recruitment is completed.
Recruitment Expected Soon
The DGP expressed optimism that the Odisha Uniformed Services Recruitment Board would begin the recruitment process at the earliest to fill the large number of vacancies.
He said timely recruitment would ease the workload on existing personnel and improve the police department’s ability to meet growing law and order requirements.
Modernisation Requires Adequate Manpower
Emphasising the importance of adequate staffing, Khurania said manpower expansion is crucial as Odisha continues to modernise its police force and improve citizen-centric policing.
He noted that filling the vacant posts would enhance operational efficiency, improve emergency response capabilities, and strengthen policing in both urban and rural areas.
With more personnel on the ground, the police would be better equipped to maintain law and order, investigate crimes, and deliver public services more effectively.
The proposed large-scale recruitment is expected to be one of the biggest police hiring exercises in the state in recent years and is likely to play a key role in strengthening Odisha’s overall law enforcement infrastructure.
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