Kasaragod: In one of the biggest administrative changes in the Kerala Police in nearly a decade, the state government has decided to reintroduce the Circle Inspector system and restore Sub-Inspectors (SIs) as Station House Officers (SHOs) in most police stations, reversing the model introduced in 2017 by the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government.

Under the new arrangement, Inspectors of Police will continue as SHOs in only 63 strategically important police stations across Kerala, while SIs will head the remaining stations. The decision follows a comprehensive study by a committee headed by the Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters), which examined the functioning of the Inspector-SHO system introduced nine years ago.

The government has accepted the committee's recommendation to revive the Circle system, under which Inspectors will supervise two police stations, which will be a Circle, while SIs handle day-to-day station administration, law & order, and routine crime investigations. In Kasaragod district, only Hosdurg, Kasaragod and Manjeshwar police stations will continue under Inspector SHOs, while the remaining stations will be headed by SIs.

Why the change?
The official committee identified seven major advantages in restoring the SI-SHO system: improved supervision, professional grooming of directly recruited SIs, better grievance redressal, more effective use of Inspectors, greater focus on serious crime investigation, improved career progression and reduced organisational stress.

The Left government removed SIs from the post of SHO because it felt young officers could be hot-headed and that police stations needed mature, experienced officers at the helm, said an Inspector posted as an SHO in Kannur. “We saw several instances of young officers misbehaving with the public,” he said. The government made Inspectors SHOs in 196 police stations in 2017 and in another 268 stations in 2018.

Officers said the move was intended to strengthen policing through experienced leadership. But it inadvertently sidelined a generation of young Sub-Inspectors from key decision-making roles and increased the workload and stress of Inspectors, who continued to shoulder station-level responsibilities throughout their careers, said the Kannur-based SHO, who was transferred on Friday as the SHO of another strategically important police station.

Before 2017, young direct-recruit SIs, in their twenties, headed police stations. After 2017, they often found themselves sidelined by Inspectors heading the stations and by experienced Grade SIs, who had joined the force as civil police officers and risen to the rank of Sub-Inspector towards the end of their careers, said T P Ranjith, a retired Additional Superintendent of Police. Each police station will have at least three to four grade SIs.

"The department has a responsibility to groom the next generation of officers," said Ranjith, who has been involved in training inspectors and sub-inspectors as part of the new reforms. "But that did not happen in the past nine years," he said.

According to Ranjith, many direct-recruit SIs enter the force in their twenties and can become inspectors within five to ten years. Yet under the Inspector-SHO system, many spent their formative years without hands-on command experience. "The result was that officers were becoming inspectors and later Deputy Superintendents of Police without having handled the complete responsibilities of station policing. The department underused some of the brightest young officers in the force," he said.

Young blood versus experience
Police officers point out that the original concept of direct recruitment of SIs was to bring young, energetic officers into frontline policing.

A young SI, they argue, is often better positioned to keep pace with criminals in terms of technology, physical fitness, mobility and investigative methods. Regular interaction with the public, cyber-enabled crime investigations and rapid response policing require officers who are active on the ground and capable of adapting quickly.

Under the new arrangement, SIs will once again get the opportunity to run police stations, manage investigations, handle public petitions and maintain law and order, while working under the supervision of Circle Inspectors.

The State Police Chief has proposed a two-week refresher training programme for SIs who will take over as SHOs. The government has also approved the introduction of special identification badges so members of the public can easily recognise station heads.

What happens to the inspectors?
The government has approved the redeployment of 203 inspector posts identified as surplus under the old system. Many of these officers will be moved to specialised wings that have long faced manpower shortages.

Inspectors will now be posted to district narcotic cells, crime branches, district crime records bureaus, special branches, cyber police stations, the Anti-Terrorism Squad, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force, the Economic Offences Wing, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) and other specialised units.

District narcotic cells will receive the largest share, with 40 Inspectors, reflecting the government's increasing focus on combating drug trafficking and organised narcotics networks. VACB will get 15 Inspectors and the Economic Offences Wing will get 19 inspectors from the surplus pool.

Senior officers say the move could strengthen investigations into grave crimes because inspectors will no longer be consumed by routine station administration.

At present, an Inspector SHO often has to simultaneously supervise investigations, maintain law and order, handle petitions, oversee prosecutions, attend court-related work and manage station administration. Under the new model, much of that routine burden shifts to SIs, allowing inspectors to focus on serious investigations, supervision and mentoring.

The case for bringing back the Circle system
Before the Inspector-SHO system was introduced, Circle Inspectors typically supervised multiple stations, monitored investigations and guided younger officers. The new structure seeks to revive that supervisory role while providing some much-needed relief to Inspectors. “When I joined the force as an SI, I was made an SHO in Kasaragod district. Later, when I became an Inspector, the policy changed, and Inspectors were made SHOs. After more than 15 years in the force, I am still doing the same job,” said an officer.

In effect, an SI who joined the force nearly 20 years ago could still be doing the same SHO’s job after becoming an Inspector. “There is no change in job profile except for the extra star on their shoulders," said Ranjith. "The stress, health problems, night patrolling, crowd control, crime investigation and law-and-order duties all remain the same for 70% of his career. He will be totally fed up,” said Ranjith, the retired ASP.

The government order, dated August 14, notes that inspectors should be used better and that the reorganisation would improve supervision and administrative flexibility.

Inspectors as SHOs
The government has retained Inspectors as SHOs in 63 strategically important police stations across Kerala, generally those with high crime rates, heavy caseloads, communal sensitivity, border significance or district-level importance.

The government has also clarified that Women Inspectors, where posted, will continue as SHOs of Vanitha Police Stations in Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Palakkad and Kasaragod. In their absence, Women Sub-Inspectors will serve as SHOs under the supervision of the concerned Inspector.

The reform will not create new posts, incur additional expenditure or alter promotion ratios. Instead, it seeks to improve policing by redistributing existing manpower while restoring a career path in which officers gain meaningful station-level leadership experience. “Kerala can no longer afford a system where future Inspectors and DySPs rise through the ranks without getting meaningful experience in leading a police station,” said Ranjith.