IPS stands for Indian Police Service. It is a part of the Civil Services of the Government of India. In this article, you will be reading about the topic – how to become an IPS officer

There are many Civil Services, which are pillars of the Government of India. Here’s a list of Civil Services in India. Among these Civil Services, IPS, along with IAS, commands the most respect and prestige!

IAS and IPS are the most preferred choice among Civil Service aspirants. This is the main reason why only toppers (in the Civil Service exam) get selected for IAS and IPS training!

IPS officers have done important roles in the Police service of India. They are directly involved in the Nation-building process. If you want to bring about a change in society, this profession is for you!

Being an IPS officer, you’ll get a chance to bring about change at the grassroots level! You’ll get a chance to improve the lives of people through development in areas such as – social security, law, and order, crime prevention, women safety, etc.

In short, it is a challenging and immensely satisfying profession. IPS officers also get to enjoy a good salary package and additional benefits (such as housing, pension, medical benefits, etc). It is an influential post that commands respect in society.

Career Roles & Responsibilities

An IPS (Indian Police Service) officer carries out his/her responsibilities by safeguarding public IPS Officer serves for the state & central as well. Their primary duty is to maintain peace among the public The IPS gives more importance to law and order, which, at the district level, is a collective responsibility of IPS and IAS officers; detecting and preventing crime; and traffic control, preventing drug, accident prevention, and management, etc. Their main role is to lead and command the Indian Intelligence Agencies like Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), etc., Indian Federal Law Enforcement Agencies, Civil and Armed Police Forces in all the states and union territories

 
 

Career Education Path Summary

HOW TO BECOME AN IPS OFFICER?

Becoming an IPS officer is not an easy task. It is a challenging and demanding job. Only the best candidates are selected for this post.

In order to select these deserving candidates, the Government of India has tasked UPSC with the task of conducting the Civil Services examination.

EXAMINATION

To become an IPS officer, a candidate must crack the tough Civil Services examination. UPSC is the body that conducts this examination.

CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION (CSE): DETAILS

Civil Services examination is ranked among the toughest examinations in the world. The exam is conducted once each year. The entire exam spans one year!

The Civil Services examination consists of two main parts. They are –

• Preliminary examination
• Mains examination
• Interview/Personality Test

Each year, Lakhs of candidates appear for the Civil Services preliminary examination. Among them, only a handful of candidates are selected for the mains examination.

The first stage of CSE is preliminary examination. The preliminary examination consists of objective-type papers (general studies and aptitude tests). Candidates who clear preliminary examination are called to appear for the mains examination.

The second stage of CSE is the mains examination. It consists of nine papers. Candidates who manage to clear the mains examination are then called to appear for the Interview/Personality Test.

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

Preliminary Examination is well known as prelims exam. The prelims exam consists of two papers –

• Paper 1
• Paper 2

You’ll find details about each paper in the table provided below –

MAINS EXAMINATION

Mains examination consists of 9 papers. Out of the 9 papers, 2 are qualifying papers, and 7 papers are used for ranking candidates.

Details about mains examination have been provided in the below table –

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

If you want to become an IPS officer, you must crack CSE. To appear for CSE, you must satisfy some requirements. Here they are –

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

All candidates must have as a minimum one of the following educational qualifications:

• A degree from a Central, State, or a Deemed university.
• A degree received through correspondence or distance education.
• A degree from an open university.
• A qualification recognized by the Government of India as being equivalent to one of the above.

The following candidates are also eligible, but must submit proof of their eligibility from a competent authority at their institute/university at the time of the main examination, failing which they will not be allowed to attend the exam:

• Candidates who have appeared in an examination, the passing of which would render them educationally qualified enough to satisfy one of the above points.
• Candidates who have passed the final exam of the MBBS degree but have not yet completed an internship.
• Candidates who have passed the final exam of ICAI, ICSI, and ICWAI.
• A degree from a private university.
• A degree from any foreign university recognized by the Association of Indian Universities.

AGE LIMIT

• The candidate must be between the age of 21-32 years (for the General category candidate) on August 1 of the year of examination. However, age relaxations die to exist for SC, ST, OBC, and Physically Handicapped candidates.
• For Other Backward Castes (OBC) the upper age limit is 35.
• For Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), the limit is 37 years.
• The upper age limit is relaxed for certain candidates who are backward concerning other factors and physically handicapped (PH) people.

NATIONALITY

For the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service, the candidate must be a citizen of India

For other services, the candidate must be one of the following:

• A citizen of India.
• A citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan.
• A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, or Vietnam intends to permanently settle in India.

POSTS AND CAREER GROWTH

After completing training, IPS Officers are commissioned as Deputy Superintendent of Police or Additional Superintendent of Police at the District level. With time, they are promoted to higher posts such as –Superintendent of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Senior Superintendent of Police, Deputy Inspector General, Inspector General, Additional Director General of Police, and Director General of Police