By Purushottam P. Khatri
Kathmandu, Nov. 3: It is found that increasing number of trained police personnel have been quitting the force due to various reasons, including lack of adequate facilities and household problems, a report prepared by Nepal Police Headquarters revealed.
The report titled 'A study on the current state of morale of constables and privates in Nepal Police: Factors and areas of motivation enhancement report 2020' released a few weeks ago made this revelation. The report was prepared after nine months’ study and analysis.
The study was conducted from September 2019 after the trend of quitting the job rose in the police force over the last few years. The study was led by the then DIG Kedar Rijal.
The study said, “It is seen that mostly constables and other juniors resign after the completion of the pension period for being unable to give time to their families and houses. Failure to resolve domestic issues due to inadequate leave from office and non-transfer of policemen near their home district result in such resignation by policemen.”
According to the report, the police personnel who resigned before completing the pension period have said that the pension period is 20 years and it is difficult to enhance the financial condition of the family by remaining in the organisation.
The study also mentioned that the police personnel have been separated from the service due to the opportunity of foreign employment and other professions.
The participants mentioned that to retain the personnel in the force for longer period, the organisation should increase service facilities, opportunities for career development, control of external interference, improvement in physical infrastructure and reduction of pension period to 16 years from 20 years now.
According to SSP and spokesperson of Nepal Police Headquarters Kuber Kadayat, the study was conducted with 4,548 constables and privates from all the States.
According to the report, 31 per cent of the participants quit their jobs due to domestic problems, 16.90 per cent due to completion of their pension period, 16.80 per cent due to lack of services and 11.90 per cent due to fear of snatching their services and salaries.
Similarly, 10.30 per cent said that they would pursue other professions, 6.10 per cent planned to go for foreign employment, 3.60 per cent quit the service due to physical disability and 3.30 per cent said that they did not have a clear career development plan.
The report shows that 7,714 personnel have quit their jobs in the last three years.
According to the statistics, on average seven policemen quit their jobs on a daily basis.
Constables top the list of those quitting jobs in mid-career.
Former DIG Hemanta Malla Thakuri said that the Nepal Police had long been made a victim of direct political intervention. “This has added mental and future career pressure to seek alternatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, SSP Kadayat said that the issue should be taken as normal practice as the older ones wish to resign and the fresh ones want to join the force.
Such trend would not hamper the organisation much, he said. “It is not logical to say that the resignation trend has increased due to political intervention and lack of charm and trust in the force,” he said.
How many resign and when?
As many as 2,564 policemen resigned from the service in the fiscal year 074/75 B.S. Among those who resigned in 074/75 were 13 senior officers, 411 junior officers, 2,109 constables and privates (Jawans) and 31 office assistants.
At that time, there were total 72,744 posts in police force. The dropout rate was at 3.52 per cent. The average number of policemen leaving the job daily in that fiscal year was seven.
In the fiscal year 075/76 B.S, this number increased to 3,073. During that period, 24 senior officers, 456 junior officers, 2,511 constables-private and 82 police office assistants left the jobs.
In 075/76 B.S, the number of total ranks in Nepal Police was 75,927. During the same period, 3,073 or 4.05 per cent quit the jobs.
This is evident from the fact that more than eight policemen quit their jobs every day on average.
Even senior officials have been found to be quitting their jobs due to personal reasons and dissatisfaction over promotions, while low-ranking officials quit due to problems such as not being able to support their families.
Similarly, the number of police ranks in the fiscal year 076/77 B.S. is around 80,000. It has been found that 2,077 policemen put in papers in 076/77. During this time, one DIG, one SP, three DSPs and 11 inspectors resigned. Similarly, 129 Sub-inspectors of Police (SIs), 323 Assistant Sub-inspectors (ASIs), 1,327 constables, 234 privates and 48 office assistants resigned.