How civic volunteers are picked: 3-member panel headed by deputy commissioner handles selection
Telegraph | 17 October 2024The applicant should “preferably” be a resident of an area that is part of the police division under which he will be recruited. The applicant should be at least 20 years old and have passed at least Class VIII.
An enrolment notice issued by Kolkata Police in June to recruit 85 civic volunteers said: “Preference would be given to the applicants who have done well in sports and have experience as NCC cadet/Boy Scout/NSS Guide/Civic Defence Volunteer etc. or possess technical skills such as driving, technical, computer skills etc.”
The application form had a proforma seeking specifics about a candidate’s “involvement in criminal case”, if any, with details of the pending cases.
A little over 7,000 civic volunteers are now engaged with Kolkata Police. The city’s force additionally has 37,400 police personnel.
Over 1.2 lakh civic volunteers work with the state police, whose force strength is around 80,000, home department sources said.
The role of Kolkata Police’s civic volunteers came under the scanner after one of them, Sanjay Roy, was arrested on the charge of raping and murdering a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The recruitment process of the civic volunteers and the legality of their roles came up during a hearing on the RG Kar case at the Supreme Court.
A senior Kolkata Police officer said: “A three-member enrolment committee headed by the deputy commissioner of the police division that is recruiting civic volunteers is responsible for the selection of candidates. An assistant police commissioner and an inspector of police are the other members of the committee.”
If there is any dispute in the selection, the case has to be referred to an appellate board comprising the police commissioner, additional police commissioner (II) and a joint police commissioner.
“Each volunteer, once selected, undergoes a two-week training organised by the deputy commissioner, Home Guard Organisation. The induction into the force takes place after completion of the training. Each volunteer is handed an ID number before induction,” the officer said.
In March, the police directorate of Bengal had issued an order saying civic volunteers would not be involved in law-and-order duty and crime-related work. The order was issued following a Calcutta High Court directive.
The order stated that the “Civic Volunteer Force” was set up to assist police in traffic management.
The volunteers are meant to help the police during major festivals, check unauthorised parking and ensure public safety.
Civic volunteers can also assist the police in discharging other responsibilities assigned by their respective unit heads.
“The terms and conditions of engagement state that volunteers cannot make claims made by a regular employee of Kolkata Police or an employee of any other department of the state government,” the officer said.
Earlier this year, the state government had revised the honorarium of civic volunteers of Kolkata Police to around Rs 10,000 a month.
While the selection involves a background check of the applicants, a section of police officers admitted that “there could be lapses”.
The volunteer arrested in the RG Kar case had been selected for the job despite having been arrested earlier in connection with domestic violence, police sources said.
He got a place in the police barracks allegedly illegally and even used a police bike.
A civic volunteer may be demobilised temporarily or permanently on specific grounds, the Kolkata Police enrolment notice states. These include dereliction of duty, indiscipline, involvement in a criminal case other than petty cases, unauthorised absence for long and involvement in corruption and extortion.
