Cop recruitment process: State,SSB,CRPF all call it their own

The Board is currently recruiting 35,000 constables under the process (see box),which has earned praise from Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

“The SSB and the CRPF have adopted the method,” said V C Goel,Chairman of the Board.

The SSB and the CRPF,however,claimed to have developed the new recruitment process on their own. Subesh Kumar Singh,CRPF Inspector General (Personnel),said: “The new recruitment procedure had been submitted to the MHA by our department before the UP Police. We are adhering to this process.” Similarly,IG (Personnel and Training) in the SSB,S K Bhagat,said: “We are using this technique,but I am not aware of it being adopted by the UP Police.”

According to UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board IG Kamal Saxena,officials from the SSB and the CRPF had visited them in September 2009 to discuss the procedure. They took away literature and other material related to the new process,he added.

The process was designed last year by DIG Renuka Mishra — an IPS officer of the UP cadre — as part of the National Police Mission. Mishra,who is now posted with the UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board,said: “I have received calls from various states,including Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat,seeking information about this recruitment process.”

Other paramilitary forces and states have shown interest in the method designed to eliminate human error,corruption and favouritism.

Mishra had also a made a presentation on the process before Chidambaram in July 2009. Later,the Home Minister praised the method at a meeting of DGPs in Delhi. Also,the Bureau of Police Research & Development sent a communication to paramilitary forces and states,commending the recruitment process.

In case of the SSB,the confusion could have arisen from the fact that Mishra was posted with the SSB on deputation when she began work on the new process.

The old and the new
In the old recruitment process in Uttar Pradesh,candidates for the constable’s post had to clear a series of physical tests like long jump,throwing of a cricket ball to a certain distance,over 75 push-ups and 100 of sit-ups and running 5 km. After this,they had to appear for a written test followed by an interview. At every stage,they were allotted marks.

In the new process,the candidates have to conform to certain physical standards and then complete a run of 10 km within a fixed time. This is the minimum qualification required to become eligible for the written examination. Since no marks are allotted at this stage,this eliminates chances of favouritism at the first stage. Favouritism took place at the interview level as well,but has been abolished in the new process.

The selection is made entirely on the basis of a candidate’s performance in the written exam. The candidates have to answer objective type questions on an optical mark recognition sheet which has a duplicate attached with it.

After the exam,candidates can take the duplicate sheet home and check their answers from the solution put up on the Board’s website within 48 hours. While police officers monitor the procedure,the technical expertise is outsourced to an outside agency to ensure fairness and transparency.

Biometric devices and biochips are being used to ensure transparency. Biometric devices are fingerprints readers used to identify candidates to eliminate impersonation. Biochips are used to record the performance of every candidate during the 10-km run that can be verified and cross-checked any time after the test.