In a move rarely seen in Uttar Pradesh Police, Sambhal superintendent of police (SP) Krishna Kumar Bishnoi has appointed five head constables and five women sub-inspectors as police outpost in-charges after subjecting candidates to interviews, technical assessments and performance reviews. This departs from the long-followed practice of reserving such posts largely for sub-inspectors based on rank seniority.For representation only (Sourced)The initiative has triggered debate within police circles over whether merit and technical expertise should carry greater weight than hierarchy in field policing assignments.SP Bishnoi said the exercise aimed at promoting merit, operational efficiency and technology-oriented policing at the grassroots level. “All selected personnel are graduates and have delivered commendable performance in important assignments earlier,” he said.He clarified that police regulations provide for appointing head constables as outpost in-charges. “The newly appointed personnel will exercise limited administrative authority under UP Regulation Act-58. They will supervise law and order, complaint disposal, local intelligence gathering and routine policing functions, though criminal investigations will remain outside their purview,” he added.Former Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) Arvind Kumar Jain backed the move, saying such appointments were not unprecedented in the police force. “There is nothing wrong with posting capable head constables as police outpost in-charges. acSimilar examples existed earlier as well. Encouraging young personnel skilled in crime detection and law-and-order management is a commendable step,” he said.According to officials, over 20 head constables were evaluated on cybercrime awareness, field performance, behavioural conduct, technical policing skills and law-and-order handling before five candidates were selected.Those appointed include head constable Arshad Khan at Manota outpost under Asmoli police station, Tej Singh at Bhavalpur outpost, Ruchin at Bahapur Patti outpost, SWAT team head constable Sovaran Singh at Naveen Police Line Bahjoi outpost and Yogesh Kumar at Bhakaroli outpost under Dhanari police station.Police officials said all five were considered proficient in cybercrime investigation and technology-driven policing, factors that played a key role in the selection process amid rising cases of digital fraud, online radicalisation and cyber-enabled crimes.In a parallel move aimed at increasing women’s participation in field policing, five women sub-inspectors were also appointed as outpost in-charges. Kusumlata Sharma has been posted at Thathi outpost, Gurjinder Kaur at Ratanpur outpost, Reshu Malik at Kashipur outpost, Ritu Giri at Rasoolpur Dhatra outpost and Aarti Sisodia at Khurjagate outpost.Senior officers admitted that such appointments remain uncommon in Uttar Pradesh Police, where rank hierarchy traditionally determines the command structure. However, supporters of the initiative believe the experiment could improve accountability, encourage skill-based postings and motivate lower-rank personnel by creating a more performance-driven policing culture.