Low pay and benefits to TamilNadu law enforcement basis for corruption,loss of morale, freebies among police

July 27, 2016 | Published by : Avinash Nandakumar

CHENNAI July 27: Doubts about morale of the TN police being low but havind a basis in their salary pay compared to other states From constables to deputy superintendents of police, they are among the lowest paid in the country.

Bureau of Police Research and Development statistics show TN police are the most poorly paid among the southern states.

Though comparable to states like Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat and Delhi, all of them are at the bottom of the pyramid.

Telangana’s constabulary has a starting basic salary of Rs 16,400, more than thrice the Rs 5,200 basic pay of a TN constable.

A constable, after two years in service, gets only Rs 18,000 a month in TN. In Telangana, a head constable’s basic pay ranges from Rs 21,230 to Rs 63,010, while it is from Rs 5,200 to Rs 20,200 in TN.

The gap increases as one goes higher up the rank.The basic pay of a Telangana deputy superintendent of police is Rs 40,270 to Rs 93,780, while in TN, it is from Rs 15,600 to Rs 39,100, plus a grade pay of Rs 5,400.

Telangana is way ahead of other states who may take a while to catch up, said a former DGP, preferring anonymity.

Karnataka is the second best paymaster in the south, followed by Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, the report says

There are serious issues about the working conditions too. Despite clear guidelines that a policeman should not be on duty for more than eight hours a day, many work 24×7, said a constable who joined service in 2011. “Even after a late night duty, we have to be at the station for the roll call at 7am

. Only those conscious about their physical fitness join police force. The best of brains join other departments because there is no incentive to join police,” he said.

What else can explain 2,674 people deserting the youth brigade, he asked.

Of the 11,000 inducted into youth brigade a year ago, only 8,326 are training as constables.

When such low salaries, it is no wonder that police seek free food from restaurants and bribes from complainants, said an inspector. “A constable’s house rent allowance is only rs 840. How can one hire an apartment for that money in Chennai,” asked the officer.

A constable with a uniform kit allowance of Rs 250 a month, if transferred to traffic wing, would need several months of kit allowance to buy a decent uniform. S K Dogra, former DGP, disagrees. “There is no simple one-to-one link between salary and efficiency.

Professional competence is a part of the workculture of a force.

There are some who work with their heart in it, and others whose greed can never be satisfied, however much you give,” he said.