Indian Police Service - Examination and Training

Examination and Training

To serve in the IPS one has to be elevated from the state cadre or get a good rank in the rigorous Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission every year. Due to shortage of police officers in India, the Ministry of Home Affairs proposed the formation of Indian Police Service Limited Competitive Examination to be conducted by UPSC.

Civil Services Examination has a three stage competitive selection process. At stage one, there is an objective type examination called the preliminary exam. This is a qualifying examination. It consists of General Studies and aptitude test. Only the candidates who clear this, can appear for the next stage called the Main examination which consists of nine papers. Each candidate has to select two optional subjects, apart from which all candidates have to take a General Studies, Essay and compulsory language paper and English paper. This is followed by an interview.

After selection for the IPS, candidates are allocated their Cadres. There is one cadre in each Indian state, except for three joint cadres: Assam-Meghalaya, Manipur-Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT). As per Indian Constitution 2/3 of the strength of every cadre is filled by direct IPS officers and rest 1/3 is elevated from respective state cadre officers. Each state and union territory of India has a state police force, headed by the Commissioner of Police (State) or Director General of Police (DGP). It is controlled by the Chief Minister and Home Minister of the state/union territory. The state police is responsible for maintaining law and order in townships of the state and the rural areas. States such as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have taken steps to get their police force trained by advanced police training schools notably the Atlanta City Police of the USA. The Tamil Nadu state police is at the forefront of advancement with the Tamil Nadu Police Academy, which now seeks university status. The advanced training that the Tamil Nadu Police undergo vary from fraud investigation to advanced patrol training. This training when completed will make the Tamil Nadu Police one of the most advanced police forces in India. City Police Services on the other hand are known for their one lesson fits all attitude. The Indian Police Forces have been trying to secure better training and capabilities for their personnel, but with indifferent success due to their own encumbered structure. Police Service officers Pay according to 6th Pay Commission (Official Indian Govt. Page) |accessdate=2010-04-26}}