At some police stations, constables rule in Goa

PANAJI: There are 31 constables who have been posted at the same police station for more than 10 years, as per police headquarters records.
According to police station in-charges, at least eight to 10 constables in each police station have served at the same police station for more than five years.
Ideally, a police constable who has completed three years at a police station should be transferred and posted at a new place.This does happen, but albeit on paper only for a brief period of time.
"The "influential" constables are transferred on paper after serving three or five years in a police station. But, within a month or two they managed to get another order reverting them back to the old posting", said a police station in-charge.
"Most of these constables have strong contact with the local politicians due to which they become arrogant and refuse to take orders from the senior police officers. This encourages corruption and indiscipline amongst the staff," the officer added.
When contacted, DGP Kishan Kumar said, "I will look into the matter. But the constables are ears and eyes of the police and I want them to be empowered so that they can effectively interact with the locals and collect grassroots intelligence".
But, transferring the constables and head constables is easier said than done. The Goa police establishment board did transfer 498 head constables just before the assembly elections as many of them had served for more than three years at the same police station.
PEB has also decided to transfer constables before the elections. But with the wives and other family members of the transferred policemen demanded cancellation of the transfer orders claiming they feared death without their husbands, the transfer of police constables was withheld. They also demanded that their husbands shouldn't be transferred more than 20km from their place of residence.
"Immediately after the elections, most of the head constables were transferred back to their original place of posting. The constables are yet to be transferred," added a senior police official.