What is IPS? IPS Exam, Syllabus, Eligibility & IPS Officer Salary

The full form of IPS is Indian Police Service, and it is one of the three All India Services. The elite Indian Police Service is not a security force but provides commanders to take higher-level posts in the state police machinery and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). Being in an All India Service, IPS officers can be employed by the Central Government and the respective States. IPS officers in India carry a lot of responsibility and also enjoy significant perks.

About IPS Officer – The IPS Indian Police Service in its modern form came into being in 1948 when the British era Indian (Imperial) Police was replaced.

IPS Exam – Recruiting IPS Officer

There are two recruitment modes to the IPS Officer (Indian Police Service):

1. Promotion of State Police Service Officer
2. Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission

For a brief period, there was the provision of a Limited Competitive Examination (LCE) for recruitment to the IPS. However, in 2018, the Supreme Court of India upheld the Centre’s decision to scrap this mode of recruitment of Indian Police Service officers.

The UPSC conducts the Civil Services Exam for which almost 5-8 lakh UPSC aspirants appear every year. The same exam recruits officers for the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Revenue Service, Indian Audit and Accounts Service, etc.

The IPS exam (UPSC Civil Service Exam) will be held in three stages:

1. Civil Services (Preliminary) Exam
2. Civil Services (Main) Exam
3. UPSC Personality Test

Check the complete IPS syllabus, and know all the details regarding IPS exam.

IPS Eligibility to Become an IPS Officer

To become an Indian Police officer in India, aspirants must meet the stringent criteria set by the UPSC and clear the IPS exam (Civil Services Exam).

The IPS eligibility conditions and qualification criteria are:

1. Nationality – Must be an Indian citizen
2. Age Limit – Minimum age of 21 years, maximum age varies, depending on category and benchmark physical disability
3. Minimum Educational Qualification – University degree (Graduate) from a recognised University
4. Number of Attempts – 6 attempts for General category & EWS (More for other categories)
5. Restriction on Applying – Officers already appointed to the IAS or IFS aren’t eligible
6. Physical Standards – As per the Rules for Examination

Indian Police Service – Roles and responsibilities of IPS Officer

The Indian Police Service comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The roles and responsibilities of the IPS officers are as follows:

1. Border responsibilities and duties
   • Counter-terrorism
   • Border policing
2. Maintaining public peace and order
   • Crime prevention
   • Investigation, detection and collection of intelligence
3. VIP security
4. Railway policing
5. Anti-smuggling and drug trafficking
6. Tackling Economic Offences
   • Corruption in public life
7. Disaster management
   • Biodiversity and protection/enforcement of environmental laws, etc
8. Enforcement of socio-economic legislation
9. High-level posts in the Indian Intelligence Agencies
   • CBI
   • R&AW
   • IB
   • CID
10. Leading and commanding the Indian Federal Law Enforcement Agencies
    • Civil and Armed Police Forces in all the union territories and states
    • CAPF – Central Armed Police Forces
      1. CPO – Central Police Organisations
      2. CPF – Central Paramilitary Forces
         • BSF
         • ITBP
         • CRPF
         • NSG
         • CISF
11. Serve as HoDs in policy making
    • in the Ministries and Departments of Central and State Governments
    • Public sector undertakings (PSUs) both at the centre and states
12. Interact and coordinate closely with
    • Other All India Services
    • The Indian Army. and Armed Forces in general

IPS Cadre Allocation

The officers promoted/recruited from the state police services remain in their respective state cadres. For the successful candidates of the IPS exam (Civil Services Exam), the cadre allocation is done on the basis of their rank, availability of vacancies and their preferences. Earlier the Cadre Allocation Policy 2008 had a state-wise preference list, which was to be filled by the IPS exam candidates. However, now the cadre allocation policy for IPS officers has changed.

Since UPSC CSE 2017, the new cadre policy for All India Services has been enforced. It aims to increase national integration and rationalise vacancies while increasing the efficiency of administration. Now, the IPS cadres are grouped into 5 zones.

In this, candidates have to first indicate zone preference and then the cadre preference.

IPS Training

For the new IPS officers, there is almost two years of training or probationary period. The first part of the Foundation Course is of three months duration and is common to all the new UPSC CSE recruits. After the foundation course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, the IPS probationers go to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), Hyderabad.

Apart from the district training for IPS officers, the different indoor and outdoor subjects are:

IPS Salary, Pay Scale, Salary Structure – IPS Ranks

The IPS officers in India get a starting pay scale monthly salary of Rs 56,100 (DA, HRA etc. are extra). This is after the 7th Pay Scale Commission recommendation. IPS salary as per the ranks of IPS officers is given in the table below.