Mumbai Police begins biggest recruitment drive

Day one of the drive saw 2,000 aspirants undergoing physical tests at training centers in Marol and Naigaon. The rest of the candidates will be called to these grounds over the next few days to undergo these tests.

As part of the physical tests, a candidate has to run a distance of 1,600 m and also take part in Shot Put, throwing a heavy spherical ball as far as possible. The candidates will subsequently have to give a written exam. Those who applied for the police constable driver’s post will also have to undergo a driving test.

Iresh Koli, a 21-year-old from Solapur who participated in the 1,600 m race, said, “I always wanted to become a policeman. I knew I had to be fit… I started working on my capacity to run three years ago.”

A graduate, Koli hails from Solapur’s Madre village. He wakes up at 4 am to run for 5 km before reaching a farm where he works as a daily wager. Koli said his dream is to be a policeman and he needs the job because his family is facing financial difficulties. Koli, who has been practising for the last three years, came to Mumbai for his final test late Monday. He spent the night at the makeshift tents that the police have arranged at their training centres.

“Nice arrangement has been made for the aspirants to take rest, as usually other commissionerates do not make such provisions and the aspirants end up sleeping on the road,” said Shivam Vadkar, another candidate. “I came to Mumbai late Monday and slept in the tents along with many others,” he added.

Around 5 am, the applicants started queueing up with their forms for the physical tests.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (LA IV) Sunil Bhardwaj said, “We ask them to keep their bags at the starting point, following which everyone’s chest and height measurements are taken. Subsequently, a chest number is provided to every applicant.”

He added that on Tuesday, around 40 applicants were sent back as their measurement did not meet the criteria.

“Many appealed against the decision, which were heard by the first appellate authority (an assistant commissioner of police). If they are still unhappy, they can appeal for the second time and it will come to me,” Bhardwaj said.

To ensure that candidates do not indulge in unfair practices, officers said around 30 CCTV cameras have been installed and the event is being monitored by a team of over eight policemen. Magnetic belts, sensor heels, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and prism sticks are also being used to record the measurements of the candidates and their timings during the physical tests. Further, vigilance squads have been deployed.