Kerala home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Friday announced a number of steps to modernize the state's police force including recruitment of nearly 6,000 constables by September.

"Apart from this, another 1,007 vacancies in the India Reserve Battalion will also be filled up. Kerala recently got the sanction for this. The Kerala State Public Service Commission is finishing the formalities for the selection process to both," Balakrishnan told reporters.

The minister said that the police have been directed to form highway protection committees and road safety clubs in all educational institutions to reduce the number of road accidents which has reached dangerous levels.

"Every year the casualty figures are increasing. Last year 4,000 people died and 40,000 people were injured in road accidents in the state," Balakrishnan said.

"It has also been decided to appoint 2,000 home guards, who will be ex-service personnel, to man busy traffic points across the state," he added.

The minister said that the state's 436 police stations will be computerized in a phased manner starting next month.

"We welcome that appointment of Muallapally Ramachandran as the minister of state for home because there are quite a number of schemes where central funding is required for modernization of the state police. Right now only a miniscule funding is given for setting up of coastal police stations. Today, the coast is as sensitive as our country's borders and hence we want 75 percent of funds from the centre to make effective security of the coast," said Balakrishnan.

Source: IANS