Nagpur: In a landmark decision aimed at tackling the acute manpower crunch in the state police force, the Maharashtra Government has empowered head constables — and qualified constables and Police Naiks — to officially investigate criminal cases.
The move, announced through a recent order by the State Home Department, marks a significant shift in policing protocol. Until now, only officers of the rank of Sub-Inspector and above were authorized to conduct investigations.
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Now, over 45,000 head constables, along with a select group of the 110,000-strong police constables and more than 25,000 Police Naiks, will be eligible to investigate cases — provided they meet certain criteria. These include holding a graduate degree, completing a six-week crime detection course, and having at least seven years of service.
โThis decision stems from the growing shortage of investigating officers, worsened by the abolition of the Police Naik post in 2021 and ongoing retirements,โ a senior home department official told Nagpur Today. โHowever, station in-charges must evaluate an eligible constableโs capability before assigning investigation duties.โ
The Maharashtra police force, with a sanctioned strength of 2.6 lakh personnel, currently has more than 10% of posts lying vacant. The order is seen as a strategic measure to ease the workload on existing officers and ensure faster investigation turnaround.
The reform not only acknowledges the ground-level experience of head constables and constables but also enhances their role in maintaining law and order โ potentially transforming the way policing functions at the grassroots level across the state.
