KATHMANDU, March 25: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has sought the details of police personnel working at present. 

Nepal Police headquarters has been asked to provide the details of the police personnel working at present after the ministry found discrepancies between the government-approved posts and the number of police personnel working at the present. 

The government has approved 72,733 positions for police personnel and salaries and allowances are being released accordingly. But the data provided by the police headquarters shows there is only 67,000 police personnel working at present. 

Lesser number of police personnel than the total approved quota was revealed when the ministry asked the police headquarters to provide the details of police personnel employed for the elections. Then the police headquarters provided the details of 67,000 police personnel ahead of parliamentary elections whereas the government has approved 72,733 positions for Nepal Police. 

"We saw some discrepancy between the number of positions approved by the government and the police personnel working at present. That's why we have asked them [police headquarters] to furnish the latest details of the police force once again," said Home Ministry Spokesperson Ram Krishna Subedi. 

Spokesperson Subedi suspects the 'missing' police personnel could be working as housemaids or helpers at the houses of former home ministers and top police officials. "Assigning police personnel recruited for providing security to the general public to anybody's house for domestic purpose is against the law," said Subedi, "We want the entire police force to be used for public security." 

Amid speculations that many police personnel recruited for providing security to the general public are being misused by former home ministers and top police officials, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa have asked the home administration to investigate the matter. The ministry has also been asked for maximum utilization of the police force to avert any possible crime.  

Following concerns by higher authorities, MoHA on Tuesday wrote to the police headquarters to provide the details of every security personnel. "We have given them a week's deadline. Things will become clear once they submit the latest details of the police personnel," said Subedi.

 
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