MUMBAI, Oct. 30 -- The state home department on Wednesday approved a mega recruitment drive for the Mumbai Police, allowing the force to hire 2,479 constables to fill vacancies arising from retirements till December 2024. Joint commissioner of police (administration) S. Jayakumar said the recruitment will address the staff shortage that has persisted since the Covid-19 pandemic, when no new hiring took place. On average, around 1,500 constables retire each year, creating a significant manpower gap. Applications for the new constable posts are open till November 30, and the selected candidates are expected to join by the end of 2026, after completing their training. To cope with the shortfall, the Mumbai Police have been relying on personnel from the Maharashtra Security Force (MSF). However, officials said a decision on when to discontinue the MSF's services is yet to be taken. Sources in the BJP said the government has accelerated recruitment and compassionate appointments, which are jobs offered to a dependent family member of an employee who had died in service or retired on medical grounds, ahead of the upcoming local body polls to bolster employment figures. Meanwhile, the jail department has also been permitted to recruit 173 constables to address severe staff shortages across prisons in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including Arthur Road, Byculla, Thane, Kalyan, and Taloja jails....