HYDERABAD: Almost half the police force responsible for maintaining peace in the second largest city of the province does nothing but guard high police officials, parliamentarians, ministers and judicial officers, leaving the other half to police the streets of a city of over two million population.

There are a total of 4,106 policemen in the district and of them almost half — 1,804 — perform duties as guards with different high-profile personalities or those who face threats to their lives like high-earning doctors.

According to official statistics, as per population ratio and Police Rules, the district requires 10,280 policemen, including inspectors, sub-inspectors, DSPs, ASIs, 1,084 head constables (HCs) and 8,523 constables.

1,804 of a total of 4,106 policemen in the district perform duties as guards with different high-profile personalities

But there are only 4,106 policemen, of them 1,804 have been rendered ineffective as they act as guards, leaving only 2,302 policemen to police the entire district.

Police officers blame politicians and judicial officers for engaging police for personal security while they themselves use many policemen as guards.

According to police rules, one police constable is needed for a population of 450 for watch and ward duty whereas one sub-inspector, one ASI, one head constable and 10 police constables are required for investigation of 75 cases at any police station.

Currently, against sanctioned strength of 3,780, 4,106 policemen are working in the district as some have been borrowed from other districts who draw salaries from their home districts and work in Hyderabad.

Of them 3,171 are police constables, including the 1,804 performing duty as gunmen.

Besides, 36 martyred (since they are not considered dead and their families continue to draw salaries) policemen including 15 PCs, 18 HCs and an inspector are also part of 1,804 ineffective force.

“1,804 policemen include those who are working as sanctioned and unsanctioned guards in the city and engaged with judges, courts, local parliamentarians, banks, doctors and police officers.

They include orderlies, office staff, police band, technical and hospital staff, process servers, newly recruited constables,” said a police source.

In addition to courts, judicial officers had also policemen as gunmen, he said.

PCs work as guards with MPAs, MNAs and provincial ministers, doctors, bankers and even builders.

“Whenever a doctor is kidnapped and then recovered, he is provided a police guard.

High earning doctors are also given policemen due to potential threats,” said an official.

Some policemen who worked as cooks with the department were working instead at some police officers’ bungalows as drivers, domestic servants and guards, thus unnecessarily burdening police force at the expense of state, said the source.

Police officers take undue advantage of their position but interestingly SSP Farid Jan Sarhandi uses his personal guards as he does not rely much on police guards.

In 2011, SSP Asad Raza had made an attempt to withdraw policemen from some officers who were serving in other districts.

He had approached other senior officers to return the force to the district but his effort met failure.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2014