Kumar Paudel from Butwal joined the Nepal Police as a constable in 2067 (2010) and was later promoted to Assistant Head Constable. However, after 12 years of service, he resigned from the police force and went abroad. He is currently working in Portugal as part of foreign employment.
“The police job made it hard to support my family. It became impossible to save,” said 31-year-old Paudel. “In Portugal, working for two hours gives the same pay as working eight hours in Nepal.”
Vijay Ghimire from Chitwan joined the Nepal Army as a soldier in 2072 (2015), but resigned after six years. “I had to be physically fit, and the food allowance was insufficient. In 18 months, I only received two pairs of clothes and boots. When I couldn’t save any salary, I left the job,” he explained. His salary at the time of resignation was 24,000 Nepali rupees. Ghimire is now employed as a CCTV camera operator and security guard in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and is happy to be able to send money home regularly.
In the past five years, more than 10,000 soldiers, police officers, and armed police personnel have resigned from their jobs. This number is almost double that of those who retired during the same period. The highest number of resignations is from the Nepal Police.
The government spends between 500,000 to 800,000 Nepali rupees on training each new recruit, but when experienced personnel resign before completing their service, the state incurs a loss. Despite this, there has been no effective initiative from the government to stop this resignation trend. Recently, there have been discussions about amending laws to provide some relief to lower-level personnel in the police and armed police.
According to the Nepal Police headquarters, from the fiscal year 2076/077 to 2080/081, 4,703 people resigned from the police force. During this time, 2,467 people retired. In the current fiscal year, until Kartik (mid-November), 509 people resigned, while 248 retired.
In the Armed Police Force, the gap between those resigning and those retiring is nearly 11 times in the last five years. From the fiscal year 2076/077 to 2080/081, 2,815 people resigned, while 226 people retired. In the current fiscal year, 449 people have resigned, according to Armed Police spokesperson DIG Kumar Nyaupane.
From 2076 to 2080, 2,697 soldiers resigned from the Nepal Army, while 2,563 people retired for various reasons. Over 11 years, 7,942 people resigned without retirement benefits from the army. During the same period, 6,597 people left the army for various reasons, including mandatory retirement.
In total, from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police, 10,215 people resigned in the past five years, while 5,256 people retired.
The highest number of resignations in the Nepal Police comes from the Havildar rank, with 1,964 resigning in the last five years. Other ranks with significant resignations include Assistant Inspectors (908), Constables (698), and Deputy Inspectors (319).
In the Armed Police Force, the highest number of resignations came from Senior Havildars (1,365). Other notable resignations were from Constables (490) and Deputy Inspectors (236).
There is no detailed breakdown from the Nepal Army regarding the specific ranks of those who resigned.
In addition to resignations and retirements, personnel may leave due to dismissal, disability retirement, or death. However, resignations are much more common than other reasons. The Nepal Army has around 96,000 personnel, the Nepal Police about 80,000, and the Armed Police Force approximately 37,000.
The majority of resignations come from lower-level personnel, who often cite financial insecurity as the main reason. They struggle to make ends meet with their salaries amidst rising costs. Some also face mistreatment by higher-ranking officers or difficulties in getting leave, leading them to seek other opportunities. Dissatisfaction with overtime duties and performance evaluations also contributes to their decision to resign.
Krishna Lamichhane from Chitwan, who joined the police in 2064 (2007), resigned from his position for similar reasons. “I was treated poorly by senior officers, and it was difficult to get leave when I needed it,” he said. After leaving the police, he moved abroad. Two years later, he returned to start a microbus business on the Kathmandu-Chitwan route. “I am happy now. I am also active in social work,” he added.
Kumar Paudel, who left the police force and is currently in Portugal, also mentioned the neglect of police personnel by the state as a reason for his resignation. “Even low-level employees in the ward receive a motorcycle and transportation benefits, but we, the police, don’t even have decent chairs in our offices,” he said. “In many places, police stations don’t even have their own buildings. We have to sleep 20-25 people in one room like sheep.”
He also recalled the fear of floods when stationed in areas near rivers. “Although the police job was good, the respect for the profession decreased,” Paudel said. “The search for financial security and a more respected life led me to go abroad.”
Though there are no official statistics, it is found that lower-ranking personnel in the army, police, and armed police mostly move abroad for foreign employment. They typically work as security guards or join foreign police forces in countries like Dubai, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Singapore. Some also resign after obtaining a visa.
In higher ranks, resignations are often due to “prestige” issues. For instance, former Deputy Inspector General of Police Ramesh Kharel resigned in March 2074 after being dissatisfied with the appointment of Subendra Khanal as the IGP. Similarly, Deputy Inspector General Navaraj Silwal resigned in September 2074 when he was not promoted to IGP, even though he was a contender for the position.
Former AIG of the Nepal Police, Bamba Bahadur Bhattarai, believes that the increase in resignations from the lower ranks is due to issues such as low salary/allowance, and insecurity after retirement. “The salaries and pensions for those serving in lower ranks do not provide economic security. So, when better opportunities arise, it is natural for them to leave this profession,” he said. “Those trained and experienced in this field are given priority abroad.”
Bhattarai suggests that the government should guarantee not only better salaries and allowances but also family security to retain personnel in the police force. However, Nepal Police spokesperson SSP Bishwo Adhikari views resignations as part of a normal process. “When people get better opportunities, they are likely to follow them,” he said.
To address the increasing number of resignations, the police have issued an internal circular identifying the problem and calling for a better working environment and strict certification of experience. However, police officers suggest that the initiative has not been effective.
Resignations have caused significant losses to the organization and the state, says former assistant army chief Suresh Sharma. “The state invests significant time and money to train each individual, and when an experienced person resigns, it has a major impact. The investment made by the state goes to waste,” he said.
From 2075 to 2081 (mid-2024), the Nepal Police recruited 20,426 personnel through five rounds of recruitment. There were 323,663 applicants for these positions. In the technical group, 3,382 vacancies attracted 44,161 applications. Similarly, 2,735 vacancies in the general group received 107,658 applications.
Since 2076, the Armed Police Force has had 8,354 vacancies, with 186,396 applications. For the Nepal Army, 1,567 vacancies for officer cadets received 29,969 applications. A total of 35,335 vacancies in the military attracted 307,019 applications.
