If
you wish to put on a crisp uniform, adorn the spotless badge on your chest,
and walk onto the streets of your community ready to answer calls for
service and investigate crime, you are sure dreaming of police job- one of
the most coveted
law enforcement jobs.
Let's know about how you can fulfill your dream of becoming a police officer
by looking at its selection process.
Indian Police ServiceThe Indian Police Service (IPS) is one of the three All India Services. The
other two are the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Forest
Service (IFS). There are two ways of getting into IPS
- Passing the Civil Services Examination
- Promotion from the state cadre police service
The Civil Services Examination is conducted every year by the Union
Public Service Commission (UPSC) of India. It is a multi-step examination
process- One has to pass through the preliminary examination and main
examination including interview. The whole process is completed in a full
calendar year. It is a common examination for selection to the other All
India Services as well as various other Group A and Group B services under
the Central Government.
Eligibility for the Civil Services ExaminationA candidate wishing to sit in the CSE must be between 21 and 30 years of
age. The minimum academic requirement is graduation in any discipline from a
recognized Indian University or an equivalent academic qualification. Four
attempts in all are allowed to all the candidates. The otherwise eligible
SC/ST candidates have been given relaxation on the number of attempts.
The Preliminary ExaminationThe preliminary round is basically a screening round and consists of two
papers- one on general studies and the other on an optional subject. The
question papers have objective type multiple choice questions of graduation
level. The optional subject for the second paper may be chosen from the list
approved by UPSC.
The Main ExaminationCandidates who pass the preliminary exam can sit in the main examination.
It consists of written tests and an interview. The written test consists of
nine papers where essay type answers have to be written. The papers are -
- One Indian language included in the Eighth schedule of the Indian
Constitution. It is of qualifying nature and the marks obtained are not
counted for ranking. It is not compulsory for candidates from the states
of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.
- English is also of a qualifying nature and the marks obtained are not
counted for ranking.
- Essay
- General Studies I
- General Studies II
- Optional subject I- Two Papers
- Optional subject II- Two Papers
The Interview
The interview, conducted by a board, assesses a candidate's overall
personality. The interview board looks for the candidate's grasp of
academics and general awareness as in current affairs, social issues, etc.
The total marks obtained in both the written tests and the personal
interview determines the rank of the candidate.
Job Prospects
Depending upon the rank, a candidate is recruited to a particular service
from among the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service
(IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and other departments including Finance,
Post and Telegraph, Revenue, Secretariat etc. If a candidate is selected for
the IPS, he/she is allocated to "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). Before posting the officer to discharge his duties, training is
provided at Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA).
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