Police Rank In India with Police Posts and Badge

Police Rank in India: Police Rank in India is categorized hierarchically based on Police Posts in the department. The state policing system is dependent on the Police Rank in India and it varies from state to state. Indian Police Service(IPS) is the last direct entry in Police rank in India. In this article, we have discussed in detail about the Police Rank In India with the badges.

Police Rank In India

We get confused after seeing the badges on the dress code of the Police. Here in this article, we have discussed in detail about the badge and rank in Indian police department.

Police ranks vary according to the authority of individual states, as stated in entry 2 of the State Subject List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. State to state, the organization of the police differs and Indian Police Service is the apex of the Indian Police Force and also the highest direct entry Police Post in the state of India. In the majority of states, Police Department is under the Home Ministry of the state government, and at the district level, Police personnel comes under Direct Magistrate and primarily in response for Law and Order of the state. The Union Government of India decides the Police ranks in the Union Territories (UTs) through Lieutenant governors of the UTs.

The Rank Of Police In India is still based on ancient British Rule. After independence, the Constitution of India made the Police a state subject under entry 2 in the state list. However, after independence, Police ranks were diluted and came to be assigned to states instead of the center. Also, Union Government is free to establish any force it may think to be fit. Police forces in India are divided into direct entry posts and promotional posts. Indian Police Rank is ranked second-highest place across the world in the context terms of the number of personnel in forces.

Four different levels are assigned for the recruitment of Indian Police:

1. Constabulary
2. Upper Sub-ordinate
3. SPS (through State Public Service Commission)
4. IPS (through Union Public Service Commission)

Hierarchy in police also follows a similar pattern. The general hierarchy remains the same alawyss with little variations in some states according to their own policy.

Police Rank in India

Police rank in the states has more or less the same hierarchy of police machinery. Police ranks in India is categorised in the following manner given below.

Constable – Police Rank

The lowest rank of a police officer is called a Constable, and in some places, it’s also known as Sipahi. This name comes from a long time ago during the Mughal period when a Sipahi was responsible for moving the soldiers. Constables who have less important jobs usually have a wooden stick with them, but those with more important duties might have a gun. They learn how to use weapons when they’re trained after they’re hired. These positions are part of a system that was created by the British a while back. A Constable can become a Senior Constable and later on, get promoted to the position of Head Constable.

State police recruitment bodies conduct exams for home guard or constable recruitment. There are three levels, find the hierarchy below:

1. Constable (CT)
2. Head Constable (HC)

Assistant Sub Inspector – Police Rank

After the Head Constable position, the next one is the Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI). ASI is chosen through competitive exams organized by specific authorities, and this process varies from state to state. Each state’s police team has its own way of hiring, with exams to pick ASIs and SIs. These SIs can then get promoted to become Police Inspectors (PIs). Here is the order of these positions:

1. Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI)
2. Sub-Inspector of Police (SI)
3. Inspector of Police (PI)

Provincial/State Police Service Officers (PPS/SPS) – Police Rank

People who want to become police officers in a state go through something called the ‘State Public Service Commission’. State Police Service is an official job. After some years of working, they can become part of the Indian Police Service (IPS). PPS officers start as DSPs. Sometimes, Police Inspectors can also become DSPs towards the end of their career. SPS officers get promotions like this:

1. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)
2. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP)
3. Superintendent of Police (SP)
4. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)

IPS Officers Ranks

The recruitment of these officers is conducted through the UPSC Civil Service Exam. After selection, they are eligible to receive a pan-India posting as Assistant Superintendent. Find the post orders below:

1. Assistant Superintendent of Police
2. Additional Superintendent of Police 
3. Superintendent of Police (SP)
4. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)
5. Deputy Inspector General of Police 
6. Inspector-General of Police (IGP)
7. Additional Director General of Police 
8. Director-General of Police (DGP) 

Highest Rank in Police

The IPS officer is the highest position in the policerank in each state. The position of Director-General of Police (DGP) is the highest in the police service. DGP reports to the state’s Chief Secretary and sometimes directly to the state’s Chief Minister. Here you can see all police rank in india.

Rank list of police

SNo.	Police Ranks	Recruitment Method
1	Constable	Direct Recruitment through the Police Recruitment Board
2	Head Constable	Promotion
3	Assistant Sub-Inspector	Direct Recruitment through the Police Recruitment Board
4	Sub-Inspector	Promotion
5	Inspector	Promotion
6	Deputy Superintendant of Police (Dy. SP)	PPS recruited through the SPSC/IPS in the initial years
7	Additional Superintendent of Police	IPS/PPS through promotion
8	Superintendent of Police	IPS/PPS through promotion
9	Senior Superintendent of Police	IPS through promotion
10	Deputy Inspector General of Police	IPS through promotion
11	Inspector-General of Police (IGP)	IPS through promotion
12	Additional Director General of Police (ADG)	IPS through promotion
13	Director-General of Police (DGP)	IPS through promotion

Police Rank List in Commissionarate System of Policing

Police department have dual command over the commissionarate System. The answer to the Superintendent of Police, but the one in charge of making important decisions about the city’s safety is the District Magistrate. This Magistrate can give permission for arrests and also for carrying weapons. So, the police need this permission to arrest people, which sometimes takes time because the District Magistrate is busy with other tasks too. To fix this, some states have changed how the police work in big cities or districts. They set up something called a Commissionarate system. Here, the Police Commissioner, who is a special officer, also has the power to give permission for arrests.

Police Rank in IG and Commissionarate System of Policing

The IG and Commissionarate systems of policing have separate police department positions. The lowest ranks in both systems are the same, but because the Commissionarate system has more powers, the level above the inspector rank differs. Let us look at this table.

Police Rank in IG Police System	Police Rank in Commissionarate Police System
Director-General of Police (DGP)
Additional Director General of Police (ADG)	Commissioner of Police
Inspector-General of Police (IGP)	Additional Commissioner of Police
Deputy Inspector General of Police	Additional Commissioner of Police
Senior Superintendent of Police	Deputy Commissioner of Police
Superintendent of Police	Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police
Additional Superintendent of Police	Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police
Deputy Superintendant of Police (Dy. SP)	Assistant Commissioner of Police
Inspector
Sub-Inspector
Assistant Sub-Inspector
Head Constable
Constable

State Police Departments

1. In each state, there are different areas watched over by the police. These areas are divided into zones and ranges, kind of like smaller parts. Some places also have another system called the divisional commissioner system. Every state’s police have a big boss called a DGP, and they have help from Additional DGPs. These bosses report to the Home Minister and Home Secretary of the state government. People called IGP and Deputy IGP are in control of zones and ranges. If there’s a commissioner system, a police commissioner is in charge.
2. The smaller parts are called districts, and they come from ranges. Big districts have SSPs looking after them, while smaller ones have SPs. SSPs usually get help from SPs and Additional SPs because they have a lot to manage, like city areas, rural places, traffic, and dealing with crimes.
3. Inside districts, there are even smaller parts called Circles and Sub-Divisions. Each of these is looked after by someone called a DSP-level Circle Officer or Sub-Divisional Police Officer.
4. And then there are police stations in these Circles and Sub-Divisions. Each police station is led by a person called an SHO, which stands for Station House Officer. SHOs are officers with the rank of ‘Inspector’ or ‘Sub-Inspector’.

Indian Police Ranks

The most common ranks among all the states are as follows

• Constables
• Head Constable (HC)
• Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI)
• Sub-Inspector of Police (SI)
• Inspector of Police (PI)
• Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP)
• Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP)
• Deputy Superintendant of Police (Dy. SP)
• Superintendent of Police (SP)
• Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)
• Deputy Inspector General of Police 
• Inspector-General of Police (IGP)
• Additional Director General of Police 
• Director-General of Police (DGP)

The Indian Police ranks are given above though their jurisdiction and powers can differ from state to state. 

Police Ranks & Their Insignia

To know who they are and follow proper rules, each state gives different badges to its police officers. Police officers have to wear the right clothes for their job. Along with the uniform, they also wear badges that show their position. You can see the different badges and ranks for state police officers below.

Police Officers Salary

People should understand that the Police Department is something managed by each state and it’s about keeping the law and order. The salaries of police officers are different in different states, just like how their job levels are different. The state government decides how much money they get paid. But for IPS officers, their salary is decided by the central government of India, even though the different state governments actually pay them.

Police Ranks of India – FAQs

1. What are police ranks in order in India?

Following are the order-wise police Rank in India

• Constable
• Head Constable
• Assistant Sub-Inspector
• Sub-Inspector
• Inspector
• Deputy Superintendant of Police (Dy. SP)
• Additional Superintendent of Police
• Superintendent of Police
• Senior Superintendent of Police
• Deputy Inspector General of Police
• Inspector-General of Police (IGP)
• Additional Director General of Police
• Director-General of Police (DGP)

2. What is the highest rank of police in India?

The highest position in the Indian Police Service is Director-General of Police (DGP), which has three stars.

3. What is 3 star in police?

In the IPS ranks, the rank of a three-star police officer is typically referred to as Director General of Police (DGP). The DGP is a senior position and represents the highest rank in the state police force.

4. What rank is 1 star in police?

Deputy inspector general of police

Inspector general of police (IGP): Crossed sword, baton and one star. Deputy inspector general of police (DIG): State emblem and three stars. Senior superintendent of police (SSP): State emblem and two stars. Superintendent of police (SP): State emblem and one star.

5. Is DGP higher than IAS?

A DGP is the most powerful IPS rank in State/Centre, while Chief Secretary is the highest administrative rank among IAS officers. Since the Chief Secretary is the administrative head of the State, the DGP is answerable to IAS. Therefore, in terms of power, an IAS officer is more powerful than IAS.

6. Who is higher SP or IPS?

Superintendent of Police (SP), also known as Deputy Commissioner in a Police Department, is a senior rank in the Indian Police Service (IPS) and of respective States’ State Police Service (SPS), and a senior level post of the police service.