Age bar likely for IPS field postings

LUCKNOW : The state authorities were considering an age bar for Indian Police Service (IPS) officers’ field postings, said officials privy to the development. This policy is likely to be implemented in the transfer list to be prepared soon, they added.

The officials said the authorities unanimously agreed to not give field postings to IPS officers who are above 59 years of age. Sixty years is the age of superannuation (retirement) for the police and other government officials.

They said the top authorities of the home department and the police department had a marathon discussion on Friday about implementation of the new age bar.

A senior government official said the new policy was aimed at giving field postings to only those officers who were active enough to handle the pressure of a field job.

He said this did not mean that the IPS officers above 59 years of age will be discarded. Rather, they will be tasked with analysing different aspects of policing and share their experience with officers in the field to handle crime, law and order and other situations more efficiently. The official said six IPS officers holding field posts were likely to affected instantly by this new policy. He said these six officers included an inspector general (IG), three deputy IGs and two superintendents of police. All these officers are due for superannuation between February and October 2021.

He also said three of the six officers were posted in different police ranges and two in districts. Besides, some deputy IG rank officers were likely to be posted as district police chiefs of major cities, as had been done in Kanpur and Ayodhya recently, he added.