Despite the existence of the problem of gender inequality in police organisations, the government has done little to achieve the objective of gender sensitisation except for organising workshops and training modules, a parliamentary committee has said.
"The government should now shed its inhibitions, laid-back approach and be in the forefront of heralding a new era by way of gender sensitisation in the entire police force," the Committee on Empowerment of Women said in a report tabled in Parliament today.
The panel stressed on the importance of gender sensitisation in police as key to the development of policing and police systems in the country where women constitute 48.5 per cent of the population.
The panel also recommended to the Ministry of Home Affairs that all possible steps be taken at the earliest in coordination with the state governments to start a special recruitment drive for raising the representation of women in police to the level of 33 per cent.
"Even though the pace of inducting women personnel has picked up in recent years, their representation is uneven across the states," the committee said.
"The very presence of women personnel at police stations could create a congenial environment for women who unfortunately become victims of crime or those from weaker sections of society for (seeking help) without inhibitions," the panel said.
Examining the factors behind low intake of women in police forces, the Committee cited the non-availability of residential accommodation as one of the contributing factors.
On the basis of data provided by the government, the panel found that of the total sanctioned strength of 21.6 lakh police personnel, a meagre 30 per cent (6.4) personnel have been provided with residential accommodation.
"The committee, therefore, strongly recommends that an effective housing policy be devised by government to augment the availability of residential accommodation to be provided to police personnel, preferably near the place of posting.
"At the same time, the possibility of introducing separate housing pool for women police personnel should also be explored in consultation with various state governments," it said, adding that the availability of funds should not be a hindrance in this regard.
