Indian Police Service

Jamadar, constable and sergeant – NCO positions opened to Indians until 1920

Indian Police Medal issued in 1940

In 1861, the British Parliament introduced the Indian Councils Act, 1861.[7] The act created the foundation of a modern and professionalised police bureaucracy in India. It introduced a new cadre of police, called Superior Police Services, later known as the Indian Imperial Police.[7] The highest rank in the service was the inspector general[7] for each province. The rank of inspector general was equated and ranked with brigadier,[8] and similar ranks in the Indian Armed Forces, as per central warrant of precedence in 1937.[lower-alpha 1][8]

In 1902–03, a police commission was established for the Police reforms under Sir Andrew Fraser and Lord Curzon.[9] It recommended the appointment of Indians at officer level in the police. Indians could rise only to the ranks of Inspector of police, the senior N.C.O. position. However they were not part of Indian Imperial Police.[9]

From 1920, Indian Imperial Police was open to Indians and the entrance examination for the service was conducted both in India and England.[9]

A 1999 stamp dedicated to the 50th anniversary of IPS

Prior to Independence, senior police officers belonging to the Imperial Police (IP) were appointed by the secretary of state on the basis of a competitive examination. The first open civil service examination for admission to the service was held in England in June 1893 and the ten top candidates were appointed as probationers in the Indian (Imperial) Police. It is not possible to pinpoint an exact date on which the Indian Police came formally into being.

Around 1907, the secretary of state's officers were directed to wear the letters "IP" on their epaulettes in order to distinguish them from the other officers not recruited by the secretary of state through examination. In this sense, 1907 could be regarded as the starting point.[1] In 1948, a year after India gained independence; the Imperial Police was replaced by IPS.

The Indian Police Service was created under the Article 312(2) in part XIV of the Constitution of India.[10]

As per media reports, there is a massive shortage of IPS officers in India, amounting to nearly 19% to 22% of sanctioned strength.[11][12]

Despite being a very small cadre strength many IPS officers have been awarded highest gallantry awards (Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra). The present National Security Advisor of India, Ajit Doval, who was an IPS officer was awarded Kirti Chakra for his gallant actions during operation Black Thunder. Though generally deployed in supervisory capacity at senior levels it's not uncommon for even a three star general rank IPS officers to be seen on the road taking active part in law and order maintenance. IPS officers have been posted to various UN Missions have been awarded United Nations Medal. Many exceptional IPS officers have been awarded with Padma awards from time to time.

The training of IPS officer recruits is conducted at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad. The authorised cadre strength of Indian Police Service is 4920. (3270 Direct Recruitment Posts and 1650 Promotional Posts).[14] The Civil List of IPS officers is an updated (annual) list maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India that lists the posting details of all IPS officers in India. This Civil List can be accessed from the MHA website. It allows searching for an IPS officer on the basis of their name, Batch or Cadre.[15]

The Union Government announced a new cadre allocation policy for the All India Services in August 2017, touting it as a policy to ensure national integration of the bureaucracy as officers and ensure All-India character of the services. Under the new policy, the existing 26 cadres have been divided into five zones in the new policy by the Department of Personnel and Training of Government of India.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

Under the new policy, a candidate has to first give their choice in the descending order of preference from amongst the various Zones.[22] Subsequently, the candidate has to indicate one preference of cadre from each preferred zone.[22] The candidate indicates their second cadre preference for every preferred zone subsequently. The process continues till a preference for all the cadres is indicated by the candidate.[22] The preference for the zones/cadres remains in the same order and no change is permitted.[22]

Officers continue to work in the cadre they are allotted or are deputed to the Government of India.[23]

Till 2008 there was no system of preference of state cadre by the candidates; the candidates, if not placed in the insider vacancy of their home states, were allotted to different states in alphabetical order of the roster, beginning with the letters A, H, M, T for that particular year. For example, if in a particular year the roster begins from 'A', which means the first candidate on the roster will go to the Andhra Pradesh state cadre of IPS, the next one to Bihar, and subsequently to Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and so on in alphabetical order.[24] The next year the roster starts from 'H', for either Haryana or Himachal Pradesh (if it has started from Haryana on the previous occasion when it all started from 'H', then this time it would start from Himachal Pradesh). This highly intricate system, in vogue since the mid-1980s, had ensured that officers from different states are placed all over India.

The system of permanent State cadres has also resulted in wide disparities in the kind of professional exposure for officers, when we compare officers in small and big and also developed and backward states.[24] Changes of state cadre is permitted on grounds of marriage to an All India Service officer of another state cadre or under other exceptional circumstances. The officer may go to their home state cadre on deputation for a limited period, after which one has to invariably return to the cadre allotted to him or her.[25]

From 2008 to 2017 IPS officers were allotted to State cadres at the beginning of their service. There was one cadre for each Indian state, except for two joint cadres: Assam–Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh–Goa–Mizoram–Union Territories (AGMUT).[25] The "insider-outsider ratio" (ratio of officers who were posted in their home states) is maintained as 1:2, with one-third of the direct recruits as 'insiders' from the same state.[26] The rest were posted as outsiders according to the 'roster' in states other than their home states,[26] as per their preference.

Though the standard uniform colour is khaki,[32] the ranks, posts and designations of IPS officers vary from state to state as law and order is a state matter. But generally the following pattern is observed.

IPS officers are appointed on the basis of either Civil Service Examination or promoted from the state police service cadre (state civil service officers). Vacancy in an IPS cadre are determined on the basis of vacancy on an Superintendent of Police rank. Consequently, there are two level of gradations for SP rank. These are level 11 and 12 as per the Seventh Pay Commission. Resultantly, IPS officers remain on the rank on SP till the 13th year after which they are eligible for being promoted as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP). ASP rank is the junior most rank on an IPS state cadre. Consequently, fresh recruits to IPS are variously posted as Assistant Superintendent of Police in a supernumerary capacity (only for training purpose for two years and after that for 1 year) till they are formally placed as Superintendent of Police In-Charge of an area (when they get the pay of level 11 and level 12) and as district in charge (when they get the pay of level 12) (only in non-metropolitan districts). When the officers get promoted to the rank of SSP, some of them are posted as the district in-charge of metropolitan districts.[33][34][35][36]

Indian Police Service gazetted officers rank insignia [37][38][39]

Insignia

Rank

Director General of Police

Additional Director General of Police[note 1]

Inspector General of Police

Deputy Inspector General of Police

Senior Superintendent of Police

Superintendent of Police

Additional superintendent of police

Deputy superintendent of police

Assistant Superintendent of Police (Probationary Rank: 2 years of service)

Assistant Superintendent of Police (Probationary Rank: 1 year of service)

Abbreviation

DGP

ADGP

IGP

DIG

AIG/SSP

SP

Addl. SP

DSP/DySP

ASP

ASP

Note: Commissioner of police is a post is held by different rank officers in different places. For example, it is held by DG rank officers only in Delhi and Mumbai; by Addl. DG rank officers in Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Varanasi, Guwahati etc; by IG rank officers in Gurgaon, Ludhiana, Mysore etc; by DIG rank officers in Trivandrum, Kochi etc.

Flags (top photo) & Stars (bottom photo) on official cars of senior IPS officers, as per their rank.

The National Police Commission was the first committee set up by the Indian government to report on policing. The National Police Commission began sitting in 1979, in the context of a post-Emergency India, and produced eight reports, including a Model Police Act, between 1979 and 1981.[44]

In 1996, two former senior police officers filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court, asking for the Court to direct governments to implement the recommendations of the National Police Commission. The Supreme Court directed the government to set up a committee to review the commission's recommendations, and thus the Ribeiro Committee was formed. The committee, under the leadership of J. F. Ribeiro, a former chief of police, sat over 1998 and 1999, and produced two reports.[44][45]

In 2000, the government set up a third committee on police reform, this time under the stewardship of a former union Home Secretary, K. Padmanabhaiah. This Committee released its report in the same year.[44][46]

The Malimath Committee Report submitted in March 2003 has very articulately laid down the foundation of a restructured and reoriented police system. The Committee in its report observed that the success of the whole process of Criminal Justice Administration depended completely on the proper functioning of the police organisation especially in the investigation stage. Apart from the investigation of offences, the police also have the duty of maintaining law and order.

In 2005, the government put together a group to draft a new police Act for India. It was headed by Soli Sorabjee (former Attorney General). The committee submitted a Model Police Act to the union government in late 2006.[44]

In 1996, Prakash Singh (a former chief of Assam Police and Uttar Pradesh Police and subsequently Director General of the Border Security Force) initiated a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court of India, asking the court to investigate measures to reform the police forces across India to ensure the proper rule of law and improve security across India. The Supreme Court studied various reports on police reforms. Finally, in 2006, a bench of Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Justice C.K. Thakker and Justice P.K. Balasubramanyan[47] ordered the state governments to implement several reforms in police force.[48]

Several measures were identified as necessary to professionalise the police in India:

• A mid or high ranking police officer must not be transferred more frequently than every two years.
• The state government cannot ask the police force to hire someone, nor can they choose the Director General of the State Police.
• There must be separate departments and staff for investigation and patrolling,[49] which will include the creation of:
  • A State Security Commission, for policies and direction
  • A Police Establishment Board, which will decide the selection, promotions and transfers of police officers and other staff
  • A Police Complaints Authority, to inquire into allegations of police misconduct.

In 2006, due to a lack of action by all the state governments,[50] the Supreme Court ordered the state governments to report to it why the reform measures outlined were not implemented.[51] After being questioned in front of the judges of the Supreme Court, the state governments are finally starting to reform the police forces and give them the operational independence they need for fearless and proper law enforcement. Tamil Nadu Police has been in the forefront of application of the new referendum.[52]

Again, in October 2012, a Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and justices Surinder Singh Nijjar and Jasti Chelameswar asked all state governments and Union territories to inform about compliance of its September 2006 judgement. The order was passed when Prakash Singh through his lawyer Prashant Bhushan said that many of the reforms (ordered by the Supreme Court) have yet not been implemented by many state governments.[53]

One of the primary concerns is the issue of politicization. The police force is often subject to political interference, which can undermine its independence and impartiality. Political pressure can influence the decision-making process, compromise investigations, and create a lack of trust in the police among the public. The ambition of the senior IPS officers to occupy posts of importance is a major contributory factor to the politicisation. The appointment of subordinate police officers is in the hands of their seniors. When the seniors surrender their authority by complying with requests from politicians, corruption increases and the investigation of crime in sensitive cases are based not on facts and law but on the wishes and interests of the politician in power.[55][56][57][58][59]

Members of one of the two most elite services in the country (the other being the Indian Administrative Service), IPS officers are arguably the most visible face of the government, overseeing law and order, investigation, internal and border security, and intelligence, among other functions. IPS officers often encounter political interference in their day-to-day functioning. Politicians may attempt to influence police investigations, transfers, and postings for their own interests or to fulfill political agendas. Such interference can undermine the impartiality and integrity of the police force.[60]

Some IPS officers have been accused public corruption, money laundering, drug trafficking and unjust use of power.[61][62][63][64][65][66][67] There have been various instances of abuse of the public by officers.[54] High-ranking officers often enjoy many luxuries for no cost.[68] There is also opportunity to receive extra payment for doing specific tasks on the job.[68]

VIP culture within the Indian Police Service (IPS) refers to a phenomenon where certain individuals, especially those holding positions of power or influence, receive preferential treatment or special privileges from the police force. This culture often results in the diversion of police resources and manpower towards catering to the needs and demands of these individuals, often at the expense of the general public. VIP culture in India, including within the IPS, has been a subject of criticism and public debate for many years. It is seen as a reflection of the country's broader issue of social and political inequality. One manifestation of VIP culture within the IPS is the deployment of police personnel for personal security and escort duties even their personal needs for senior IPS officers. These personnel are often diverted from their regular law enforcement duties, which can affect the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the police force. VIP culture also extends to the use of special privileges such as flashing red or blue beacons on vehicles, known as "lal batti," which signify authority and grant the right-of-way on the roads. The practice of using sirens and escort vehicles to navigate through traffic, often at high speeds, is another common aspect of VIP culture within the IPS.

• Security - High-ranking IPS officials is provided with a significant security detail, which includes armed police personnel, vehicles, and sometimes even dedicated security units. This leads to the concentration of resources on protecting VIPs, sometimes at the expense of maintaining law and order in other areas.[69]

There are lot of incidents were Misuse of Power by IPS officers in india. In a notable incident in Kochi, there was an alarming misuse of government vehicles and police personnel during the marriage ceremony of a IPS officer. This incident raised concerns as several government-owned vehicles, belonging to the Kerala police, were utilized as a shuttle service for the wedding festivities. Additionally, a number of police officers were deployed as valets to assist with carrying luggage and other items for the guests. This incident highlights a misuse of power and resources, which is a matter of great concern. Such actions not only demonstrate a disregard for proper usage of government assets but also raise questions regarding the principles of fairness and equality.[70][71]

In June 2023, an incident of alleged abuse of power by Tamil Nadu IPS officer came to light, resulting in his suspension. an assistant superintendent of police (ASP) from the Tamil Nadu cadre, was accused of engaging in custodial torture at Ambasamudram police station in Tirunelveli district.[72] The allegations against IPS officer included forcefully extracting the teeth of approximately ten individuals and repeatedly assaulting at least two of them in their genital areas while they were in custody.

Some IPS officers have been implicated in cases of domestic violence, assaulting women and sexual misconduct.[73][74][75][76][77]

IPS officers have complained of high levels of stress due to long work hours and unrealistic demands of political bosses. Retired Director General of Police in Uttar Pradesh Vikram Singh believes job discontent is a combination of "no holidays, lack of sleep, the sinking feeling of failure, public treatment of policemen with contempt, indifference of political bosses and almost no connect with superiors". Professional stress ruins personal lives and leads to martial discord. The inability to balance professional and personal lives has led some IPS officers to commit suicide.[78]

Some IPS officers have been convicted of fake encounters, a term for extrajudicial killings by the police supposedly in self-defence.[79][80]

In 2019, Ministry of Home Affairs said it never recognised or approved the formation[81] of IPS (Central) Association and the police force does not have the right to form any association without the permission of the federal Government of India.[81][82]

The entry for Police Force in India has been made up by 4 levels - constables, sub-inspectors, state service DSPs, and IPS. This has caused disunity in the force, with constables being treated as slaves or personal servants for senior officers. The lack of merit based promotions has caused constables to remain constables till retirement. This type of police system has been severely criticized by several current and retired police officials, demanding a single entry into the force from constable, which has met resistance from other officials and political establishment.[83]