AP Police Bands Out Of Tune Due To Shortage Of Skilled Staff
The AP police band has a history of extraordinary performance at the national level events.
Update: 2026-03-21 17:55 GMT
ANANTAPUR: Police bands in Andhra Pradesh are facing shortage of skilled members, as no band members have been recruited since 1993. As a result, various bands send their experienced members to the band that has to participate in any ceremonial and public engagements.
Anantapur Police Training College (PTC) is without the minimum members in its police band. It has only four members, as against the total requirement of 24 members in a ceremonial band.
Anantapur PTC has been organising passing out parades for various levels of police officers, including DSPs and sub-inspectors. The Anantapur Police Training College has been functioning as the temporary AP Police Academy ever since the bifurcation of the state.
The AP police band has a history of extraordinary performance at the national level events. It has received gold and silver medals during competitions and events.
Traditionally, attached to district police units and battalions, the bands perform at the district and state level during events such as Republic Day, Independence Day, and ceremonial parades. The bands also participate in public outreach programmes, aimed at strengthening community-police relations.
An official said a police band should not be treated as a ceremonial group, it is a tool to connect with citizens. But with no recruitment of band members over the past two decades, band members have to be rushed from one place to another for ceremonies. Most of the bands have no rehearsals or practise, as they are too few to make a decent team.
A senior official suggested that skilled persons in music could be recruited as home guards to serve as members of the police bands. They could also be taken on an outsourcing basis. But such people will have to be rigorously trained before they can participate in parades without making any mistakes.