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| Police begins performance review of SPOs; Vulnerability to militant attacks apprehended | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Sept 23: Following increased militants attacks on police personnel in the recent past, authorities are conducting a performance assessment of over 30,000 special police officers (SPOs) on the number of militants they have killed and those SPOs who have not performed well in the counter insurgency operations may be sacked, sources informed.
The performance review is being carried out after the state home department issued an order seeking reports about the "counter insurgency" work of the SPOs. According to senior police officials, nearly 30,100 SPOs currently work in the state. Some of the SPOs who have worked at these posts for over ten years have been told that they could be regularised on the basis of their performance.
A team of officers, including the deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police Shopian, is carrying out the assessment. Owais Ahmad, the district commissioner of Shopian, said, "The screening process is going on. We have not issued orders to disengage any SPO as of now."
"All police officials who deal with anti-militancy operations face a threat, and SPOs are particularly vulnerable," said a police official who did not wish to be quoted.
While some policemen have been killed by militants after being abducted from their homes, attacks on police stations have also increased. The police top brass has even advised the station house officers (SHOs) of police stations that they should be accompanied by armed security guards when they move out for routine crime investigations.
Earlier, militants had released videos warning police personnel against directly participating in operations against them. Although some senior Kashmiri police officers supervise these operations, their immediate family members live in high-security zones.
The attacks by the militants are aimed at preventing youth from joining the Special Operations Group (SOG), which primarily deals with anti-militancy operations. Senior police officers even have the authority to induct officials dealing with criminal investigations into the SOG. The group also comprises personnel from the armed police and SPOs, said a senior police official. |
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