Full Form of IPS

Full Form of IPS

The full form of IAS is Indian Police Service.

This tutorial will briefly learn about the definition, eligibility criteria, salary packages, and much detailed information about the Indian Police Service or IPS.

Topics Covered:

1. What does IPS mean?
2. How to become an IPS officer?
3. UPSC Eligibility Criteria for UPSC
4. Roles of IPS officers
5. How to become an IPS officer?
6. IPS Salary- 7th Pay commission
7. Frequently Asked Questions

What does IPS mean?

“IAS or the Indian Police Service is a service falls under All India Services who takes higher posts and serves for Indian central government and the individual state governments. The Indian Police Service is not a part of the security force, it is one of the three All India Services followed by IAS (Indian Administrative Service) and IFOS (Indian Forest Service). “

IPS officers are responsible for maintaining law and order, prevent crime, security check, tackle terrorism, and many other crucial duties for central and state governmental bodies.  Being in an ‘All India service’, the IPS officer's higher-level post is police machinery and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).  However, the Indian Police Service was introduced in the British era, in 1905 and was initially known as Imperial Police. But soon, in 1948, it was replaced by its modern form, i.e., IPS.

The overviews of Indian Police Service are as follows:

How to become an IPS officer?

In India, the IPS officers are recruited by the following two ways:

1. Through Promotion: One can become an IPS officer after getting promoted from SPS (State Police Services) and DANIPS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Police Service). 
2. By clearing Civil Services Examination: UPSC or Union Public Service Commission conducts the CSE examination every year to recruit IPS (Indian Police Services) and IAS (Indian Administrative Services) candidates. Every year almost 4-8 lakh applicants give the test, out of which only 3,367 aspirants are selected. 

NOTE: There was a Limited Competitive Examination (LCE) stipulation for recruitment to the IPS. But, the Supreme Court of India sustained the Centre’s decision in 2018 to drop this form of recruitment of IPS officers.

UPSC Eligibility Criteria for UPSC

Following are the eligibility criterion that is mandatory before applying in the CSE exam conducted by the UPSC:

1. Nationality: The applicant should be a legitimate citizen of India.
2. Age Limit: The minimum age required to apply for IPS must be 21 years, and the maximum age is 32 years (for the general category).
3. Education qualification: The candidate must be a graduate.
4. Age Relaxation (upper limit): The following table shows the Civil Services Age limit relaxations for different categories:

Roles of IPS officers

The responsibilities and functions of an IPS Officer are as follows:

• Procure Law and Order: IPS officers are held responsible for maintaining peace and order, crime prevention, handling border policing, leaders and commander security, counter-terrorist attacks, anti-smuggling, tackling drug trafficking, economic offenses, providing relief in calamity and disaster, and implementing socio-economic laws, and enforcement of environmental legislation etc.
• Investigate, Research and analysis- They also lead and command the various Indian research and investigate agencies:
• R&AW department (Research and Analysis Wings) 
• IB (Intelligence Bureau)
• CID (Criminal Investigation Department)
• CBI (Criminal Bureau of Investigation )
• High post in Force – The lead the security forces with courage, morality and with experience they procure the leading positions in various force services such as:
• Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)
• Border Security Force (BSF) 
• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG)
• Central Industrial Security Force (CISF),
• Vigilance Forces
• Indian Federal Law Enforcement Agencies
• Serve in Policymaking: Endeavor to inculcate in defining and shaping new policies and norms for the public's betterment.

IPS Salary- 7^th Pay commission

The new pay structure for IPS has dispensed as per the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendation.  Below is the table demonstrating the IPS salary chart as per their rank:

FAQ’s/ Frequently Asked Questions

Question1: What does IAS stands for?

Answer: IAS stands for the Indian Administrative Service.

Question 2: What are the various stages of the IPS Exam?

Answer: The IPS exam is held in the following three stages:

• Civil Services Exam (Initial)
• Civil Services (Main) Exam
• UPSC Personality Test (PI round)

Question 3: What is the highest rank hold by an IPS officer?

Answer: The highest position that an IPS can hold in a state is Director General of Police (DGP). In the central level, he can uphold the position of DGP and pursue the power to lead armed police forces (CAPF).

Question 4: How can one become an IPS?

Answer: To become an IPS officer, an individual must pass the Civil Services Examination (CSE) and secure a rank within 300 (for the general category).