Four police stations recently brought under the Bengaluru City Police Commissionerate, namely, Hebbagodi, Madanayakanahalli, Kumbalagodu and Avalahalli police stations, are grappling with a severe staff shortage, forcing personnel to handle both law and order and crime duties beyond stipulated working hours.

Among them, the Hebbagodi Police Station seems to be the worst affected, with over 220 cases registered so far — one of the highest in the city limits — but functioning with just around 40 personnel. Officers said the station has to cover a vast jurisdiction with a radius of nearly 15 kilometres, managing patrol duties, bandobast arrangements, and crime detection, in addition to pending cases from previous years.

The Hebbagodi Police Station, along with the Kumbalagodu and Avalahalli Police Stations, was integrated into the city commissionerate seven months ago. The Madanayakanahalli Police Station was merged four months ago. Officials noted that despite this shift to the city jurisdiction, staffing levels remain aligned with their earlier rural allocations.

Each of these stations presently has a staff allocation of around 40 personnel in line with rural police stations. With their jurisdictions having urbanised and reporting higher crime rates, they were integrated into the city limits. However, without a corresponding increase in manpower, the very purpose of the merger appears to have been defeated. By contrast, an average city police station has a strength of 110 to 120 personnel. The shortage has raised concerns over effective policing as well as staff welfare.

A similar strain has been reported at the Madanayakanahalli Police Station, where only about 34 personnel are currently active, as 14 of the sanctioned 48 staff are on leave due to marriages, deliveries and other personal reasons. The station also handles traffic responsibilities within its jurisdiction, further stretching the limited manpower. Police sources said staff at these stations have been working under sustained pressure for the past four months, often without regular weekly offs. “Even sanctioning offs has become a challenge, as the remaining staff have to shoulder additional workload,” a police officer said.

Meanwhile, the city police administration has stated that approval for enhanced sanctioned strength from the government is awaited. Until then, officers on the ground will have to continue to bear the burden of increased workload.