Cuttack: Odisha Police is facing a manpower shortage of nearly 33,000 personnel, Director General of Police (DGP) Y. B. Khurania said on Wednesday.
Addressing reporters in Cuttack, the DGP said the existing police strength is inadequate in comparison to Odisha’s growing population and falls short of the desired police-to-population ratio. He noted that Odisha has fewer police personnel than several other states, posing challenges in maintaining effective law enforcement and public safety.
To address the shortage, Khurania said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has recently approved the creation of 17,000 new posts in the police department. Combined with the existing 16,000 vacant posts, the total number of positions to be filled now stands at approximately 33,000.
The DGP expressed hope that the recruitment process would be initiated at the earliest to fill all vacant posts and significantly enhance the state’s policing capacity.
He said the proposed recruitment would help improve law enforcement, strengthen public safety, and reduce the workload on the existing force. The large-scale hiring exercise is also expected to generate employment opportunities for thousands of aspirants preparing for police recruitment in Odisha.
Khurania said strengthening the police force is essential as Odisha continues to modernise its policing system and improve public service delivery. Filling the vacancies would enhance operational efficiency and enable better policing in both urban and rural areas, he added.
