Uttar Pradesh Police

There are a total of 68 District police units (headed by SP/SSP) and 7 Police Commissionerate (headed by CP) in the state.

In each district (except all current 7 commissionerates), the head of the police is the SP or SSP. In the discharge of his duties, he is assisted by Superintendent of Police (SP), Deputy Superintendent of Police (Deputy SP) or Assistant Superintendent of Police who may either be the officers of the Provincial Police Service or Indian Police Service.

The number of SPs and Deputy SPs varies with the size, population, police work, or nature of police work in different districts. The number of SPs and Dy.SPs in districts like Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Meerut, Moradabad is considerably more than other districts. Whereas in smaller districts like Baghpat, Kannauj, Mahoba, Chandauli the number of the PPS officers is relatively lesser.

Typically, a police district in the state corresponds with the administrative district. Though, the head of the police force in the district is the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)/Superintendent of police (SP), who is always an officer of the Indian Police Service, the ultimate/final responsibility with regard to the maintenance of the law and order in the district lies with the district magistrate who is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service. The police district is further subdivided into police sub-divisions or police circles. A police circle is usually headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police or Assistant Superintendent of Police. The officer heading the police circle/sub-division is designated as the Circle Officer (C.O.) in the state of Uttar Pradesh. A police circle is usually constituted by 2 to 4 police stations. Each police station is headed by a police inspector. Throughout the state of Uttar Pradesh and other states, especially in North India, there is the main police station in the older/ main part of the city known as the Kotwali. The Kotwali covers the main or usually the older part of the town/city under its jurisdiction. Earlier, when the cities and towns were smaller and had a lesser population than at present and they hadn't grown in size so much, Kotwali covered the main town area of the cities or the districts. A police station is also called as a thana in the local language. The officer in charge of a police station is designated as or called as the station officer (S.O.) or station house officer (S.H.O). He is assisted by various sub-inspectors, head-constables, constables. There are also a number of police chowkis that come under the police station. A police chowki is under the charge of a sub-inspector of police. The regular constabulary carries the bulk of normal beat policing and patrolling.

There are currently 7 police commissionerates under UP Police -

In the police commissionerate system, the Commissioner of Police (CP) in the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) or Inspector General of Police (IGP) heads the district police department or commissionerate.

In Lucknow Police, the CP is assisted by 2 Joint Commissioners of Police (JCPs) with the ranks of IG and DIG, in Kanpur Police the commissioner is assisted by 2 Additional Commissioners (Addl. CPs) in the ranks of IG and DIG who look after Law and order while other looks into Crime & Headquarters respectively, whereas in all other commissionerates the commissioner is assisted by Addl.CP(s) of DIG rank. Under them, there is a team of IPS & PPS officers who are posted as DCPs and ACPs. Three DCPs are posted in a zone. One DCP's insignia is the state emblem above one star, who is senior to the other two DCPs, whose insignia is one state emblem only. Under the DCPs work ACPs, who are the chiefs of various circles. They are vested with the powers of the executive magistrate for criminal cases.

Police Commissionerates are independent of zonal & range police chiefs' supervision. They are also vested with powers of an executive magistrate under various acts.

• Director general of police (DGP)
• Additional Director General of Police (ADG)
• Inspector general of police (IG)
• Deputy inspector general of police (DIG)
• Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)
• Superintendent of Police (SP)
• Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl. SP)
• Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP)
• Deputy superintendent of police (DSP)

• Inspector of Police (PI)
• Sub-Inspector of police (SI)
• Assistant Sub-inspector of police (ASI)
• Head constable (HC)
• Police constable (PC)

UP police uses a database of 500,000+ criminals with facial recognition technology in its "Trinetra" face identification system.[38][39]

A social media command and research center has been established in Meerut. The center monitors trends in social media that can have an impact on law & order situation and advise concerned district and range police chiefs.[40]

In 2007, 18,000 police officers were fired as they were hired despite being unqualified for the job. These new recruits were illiterates who bribed between ₹100,000 and ₹500,000 to cheat in the UP police entrance tests.[50]

In 2020, Uttar Pradesh government started an operation to screen allegedly corrupt police officials who will be forced to take retirement.[51]

In 2018, India Today carried out an investigative piece reporting incidents of UP police framing innocent people and killing them in staged encounters for money and promotions.[52] A sub-inspector had allegedly offered to gun down an innocent civilian for around Rs 8 lakh.[53] Between 2015–2018, 211 complaints of fake encounters were filed in India out of which 39 were on UP police.[54] In 2012, 17 UP police personnel were given life term for killing an incontinent 24-year-old man in a 1992 fake encounter and later they branded the victim as a terrorist.[55]

The Uttar Pradesh Police has an infamous history of refusing to file reports and investigate crimes against women, notably rape cases, especially when high profile individuals like political leaders are involved, or caste bias. This has led to botched investigations, or cases being assigned to the CBI. Despite the changes mandated by Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, the attitude of Uttar Pradesh Police officials has often been lackluster, which has worsened crime rate and safety of women, especially in the rural areas and with most victims belonging to minority and backward castes.

In February 2017, the Uttar Pradesh Police refused to file a rape case against Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, then minister of State for mining. Following the refusal, the victim approached Supreme Court and a report was filed and investigation was conducted. Gayatri Prasad Prajapati was arrested in March 2017 after absconding for long.[56] On 12 November 2021, he was sentenced to life on the charges of rape.[57]

The Uttar Pradesh Police was criticized for mishandling the 2017 Unnao rape case, which involved expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar. The victim's father went to file report earlier, but after initial refusal by the Police, the Supreme Court took action and recommended filing the report. However, in the aftermath, 6 officers were suspended for arresting the victim's father and subsequent custodial death, who was also assaulted by the accused's brother Atul Sengar.[58][59] Following outrage and protests, the CBI took over the investigation and the case was handed to Allahabad High Court. Kuldeep Sengar was convicted in December 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and kidnapping, along with a fine of Rs 25 lakhs.[60]

In the 2020 Hathras gang rape and murder, the Uttar Pradesh Police came under fire, after some officials forcibly cremated the body of the victim girl without the consent of her family.[61] The station house officer of Chandpa Police Station, was transferred for his "failure to promptly act" in the case, as well as humiliating the victim, refusal to file a report, and failure to follow procedures laid down for investigation of rape.[62] The Uttar Pradesh Police has been severely criticized by the CBI for inaction and delay in collecting samples as well as other evidence, eventually botching up the investigation, which led to the acquittal of 3 of the 4 accused, with neither of them charged with rape and murder; furthermore, the department was also condemned for failure to stop protests led by expelled BJP MLA Rajveer Singh Pehelwan, with activists and members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, who held a rally in support for the accused as they belonged to the upper castes.[63] Additionally, the Provincial Armed Constabulary, tasked to protect the victim's family, was criticized for allowing kin of accused and the upper caste villagers to enter the premises of the victim's family and threaten them to take back their case; following media allegations, the CRPF took over the security of the family.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has been criticized for refusal to investigate high profile cases involving political leaders of either ruling or opposition party. Political leaders have also attempted to influence or stop such investigations, or threaten police officials against actions on party leaders or workers.

On 10 July 2015, IPS Officer Amitabh Thakur, who was posted as an IG, alleged that former Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, had threatened him on a phone call. He released the audio of the phone call, in which Yadav is allegedly heard saying certain sentences of threatening nature:[64][65] Thakur alleged that Mulayam Singh was unhappy about the complaint lodged by his wife Nutan against the state minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati for illegal mining activities.[65] In retaliation, Thakur was charged with false cases of rape and disproportionate assets, both of which were proven to be baseless and he was cleared by the Economic Offenses Wing and the Vigilance Department.