Railway Protection Force Has Highest Number Of Women Personnel

Among the central paramilitary forces, Railway Protection Force (RPF) now has the maximum number of women, with women constituting around 10 percent of the force, PTI reported. However, as of March 2019, the maximum women personnel were in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at 5.55 percent of the total strength.

Key Takeaways:

• According to a recent report by PTI, with women constituting 10 percent of its personnel, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) now has the maximum number of women among the central paramilitary forces.
• As of March 2019, the maximum women personnel were in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at 5.55 percent of the total strength. 
•  The Border Security Force (BSF) has 2, 45, 000 personnel, of whom only 5,129 are women, which is 2.12 percent.
• In October 2019, it was also reported that there has been an increase of 21 percent in the number of women cops. 

“With the recruitments done in 2019, the RPF has become the Central Paramilitary Force with the maximum number of women,” - RPF Director-General Arun Kumar

10 Percent Increase In The Number Of Women In RPF

Though the maximum women personnel were in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as of March 2019, after the recent recruitments done by the RPF, it constitutes the maximum number of women personnel. “With recruitments done in 2019, the RPF has become the Central Paramilitary Force with the maximum number of women,” RPF Director-General Arun Kumar said, adding that the 80,000 strong force now has around 8,000 women in its ranks. A total of 1,121 candidates (823 males and 298 females) were impanelled for recruitment to the post of sub-inspectors in the RPF, out of which initial training of 929 (682 males and 247 females) sub-inspector cadets have already started, he said.

Increase In Number Of Women Cops Too

As per the latest data released on Police organisations by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, there has been an increase of 21 percent in women cops’ strength. The data is with respect to the year 2018 when women police personnel rose to 1.69 lakh from 1.40 lakh as of January 1, 2017. The Data on Police Organisations (DoPo) is the flagship publication of the Bureau of Police Research and Development. Along with the number of police personnel, the number of police stations also saw an increase from 15,579 to 16,422.

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Low Number Of Women Personnel Amidst Increasing Crime Against Women

The latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau shows that around 3.5 lakh cases of crime against women were registered in 2017. With this, the figure shows an upward trend for the third consecutive year in crimes against women. While 3.2 lakh cases of crime against women were registered in 2015, 3,38,954 cases were registered in 2016.

The Border Security Force (BSF) has 2, 45, 000 personnel, of whom only 5,129 are women, which is 2.12 percent.

According to the NCRB data, the highest number of crimes against women was recorded in Uttar Pradesh, which is also the most populated state. The second spot in crimes against women was given to Maharashtra with 31,979 cases registered. The next ranks given were to West Bengal which had 30,992 cases, with 29,778 cases Madhya Pradesh was next, Rajasthan recorded 25,993 cases while Assam recorded 23,082 cases.

Picture Credit: Times Of India

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