Hubballi: All police stations in the state will have two police sub inspectors ( PSIs ) soon, said home minister M B Patil here on Tuesday“One PSI will take care of law and order and another will take care of crime and traffic issues. The state finance department has given in-principle approval to this proposal and 832 additional PSIs will be recruited soon to fill the posts,” he said.Patil said posting two PSIs at each police station was a long pending demand and added that deployment of an additional PSI would reduce work pressure.Patil said they were planning to make it mandatory for police officers to serve in non-executive posts as some were showing reluctance to do so.He added that they were also planning to upgrade the police training academy by deputing the finest officers and by improving infrastructure.When asked about increasing the number of police stations, the minister said his priority was not sanctioning new stations but to fill vacant posts and strengthening policing. Stations would be sanctioned when they are a grave necessity, he added. “The department is already facing staff shortage. If new stations are established with no staff to run them, it may cause serious trouble. And adjusting the existing staff to new stations would impact quality of policing,” he said.The minister said he has plans to recruit at least 50,000 constables in the next five years, which is still insufficient. Stating that the twin city police were doing a good job, Patil added that they submitted a list of requirements including sanction of Dharwad South Traffic station, Hubballi West traffic station, equipment for cybercrime stations, a firing range in Anchatgeri and a police quarters at Banati Katta. Their demands will be looked into, he said.Patil said the state government was serious about implementing the recommendations of ADGP Raghavendra Auradkar Committee Report.He said the salary of lower rung staff in the police department was low compared to staff of the same grade in other departments.“The government is planning to make the salary of the police personnel equivalent to the staff of other departments and it will be announced in the budget or after the budget,” he said.IGP (Northern Range) H S Revanna, police commissioner M N Nagaraj, SP G Sangeetha and DCP Ravindra Gadadi were presentwith the minister.

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