Vacancies stretch policing thin; 35 second PI posts vacant in Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad News

Ahmedabad: A severe manpower crunch is hampering policing across Ahmedabad, with at least 35 police stations operating without the sanctioned second police inspector (PI). The shortfall is stretching officers thin and raising concerns over effective crime control in both residential and industrial belts, as crime does not wait. It happens nevertheless. Inspectors operating without their second-in-lines are caught between mountains of paperwork and deputing teams, not an easy task given the areas under their watch.In Sector-1, which has 26 police stations, at least 20 are running with only one PI, as the second PI post remains vacant. Stations in Vastrapur, Sola, Ghatlodia, Gujarat University, Naranpura, Navrangpura, Vadaj, Ellisbridge, Sarkhej, Vasna, Bodakdev, Anandnagar, Paldi, Satellite, Madhavpura, Ranip, Sabarmati, Kalupur, Gaekwad Haveli, and Khadia are among those hit by the shortage. Sector-2 mirrors the same problem. Of the 22 police stations that require 44 PIs, around 15 second-PI posts are vacant. Stations in Dariapur, Krishnanagar, Meghaninagar, Bapunagar, Gomtipur, Rakhial, Amraiwadi, Khokhra, Nikol, Odhav, Isanpur, Maninagar, Vatva GIDC, Danilimda, and Narol are functioning without a second PI. The shortage comes at a time when both sectors are grappling with distinct and rising policing demands. Sector-1 comprises some of the city’s busiest residential and commercial pockets, where police routinely handle cases of theft, cheating and loot. Sector-2 is predominantly industrial, home to a large migrant workforce and several manufacturing units — an ecosystem that sees frequent cases of assault, robbery and theft. According to police sources, the absence of a second PI is now directly impacting administrative efficiency and field operations. Critical duties such as crime monitoring, investigation supervision, law-and-order management and coordination with senior officials are being shouldered by a single officer, increasing the possibility of delays. A senior officer admitted that the crunch is affecting crime detection. “When one PI is handling everything, from paperwork to field deployment, it becomes difficult to give adequate attention to each case. Preventive policing also suffers,” the officer said. Officials said that while proposals to fill the vacancies have been discussed, the posts remain empty due to transfers, promotions and administrative delays. They emphasized that strengthening manpower at the PI level is essential for improving response time, ensuring better supervision and maintaining law and order across the city.