Police Ranks in India: See Rank List And Highest Police Posts

Police Rank: Constable

Constable is the lowest position in the police force. In some states, it is also called Sipahi. The nomenclature is taken from the Mughal period, when the Sipahi was the person who carried the army. In the less sensitive postings, the Constable has a wooden stick, but in the sensitive postings, the Constable can carry a rifle. The arms training is imparted in the training after the recruitment. These posts come under the Constabulary system devised under British rule. Constable becomes Senior Constable and is later promoted to the post of Head Constable.

State police recruitment bodies conduct exams for home guard or constable recruitment. Please check the Police Force hierarchy below:

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

In some states, there are Naik Posts in between the two. 

Read More: Rajasthan Police Constable Recruitment 

Police Rank: Assistant Sub Inspector

Head Constable is followed by the Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) post. ASI is directly recruited through the competitive exams conducted by designated authorities which differ from state to state. Every state police unit has its own recruitment machinery that conducts competitive exams for recruitment. Exams are conducted to recruit ASI and SI who are promoted to PI, eventually. Find the hierarchy of these posts below:

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

Read More: Assam Police SI Recruitment

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

Provincial or State Police Service officers are selected through the ‘State Public Service Commission’. State Police Service is the gazetted service. They are eligible for appointment to the Indian Police Service (IPS) after certain years in service. The PPS officers are appointed as DSP. Some Police Inspectors are also promoted to the post of DSP in the last leg of their career. SPS officers are promoted in the following order:

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

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The police rank above the SP are manned by the IPS officers.

IPS Officers Ranks

The recruitment of these officers is conducted through the 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 Police Rank

Every common person wants to know and understand the Highest Police Rank in the Police Force of a state. In every state, the highest post in the Police force is manned by an IPS officer. The Director-General of Police (DGP) is the highest post in the Police force. He reports to the Chief Secretary of the state and sometimes directly to the Chief Minister of the state. 

Indian Police Service (IPS)

The full form of the IPS is the Indian Police Service. The IPS is one of the three All India Services (AIS) where the candidate is recruited by UPSC and posted under the State Government. The IPS is the apex of the Policing system in a state. All the leadership posts in the Police force is manned by the IPS only. The candidates for the IPS are recruited by the Central Government through the Civil Service Exam conducted every year by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Get Here Details About SSC CHSL 2025

Police Rank List

The candidates can see below the Police ranks in order of their hierarchy.

There are states where Home Guards are also called for contingent situations. 

Police Rank List in the Commissionerate System of Policing

Police departments have dual command over them. Operationally they work under the Superintendent of Police but at the same time, the executive powers are vested in the District Magistrate who is responsible for the law and order of the city. The police need to take warrants from the DM to arrest anybody because the powers to issue warrants and arms licenses are vested in the District Magistrate. This causes delays sometimes because the DM has various other works also.

To overcome this difficulty, some states re-organise the police system of important cities or districts into a Commissionerate system where the executive powers of issuing warrants are also vested in the Commissioner of Police. The Police Commissioner is the officer of DIG rank. 

Police Rank in the IG and Commissionerate System of Policing

Police department ranks are different in the IG and Commissionerate system of policing. The lower ranks in both the systems are the same but due to more powers in the Commissionerate system, the level above the inspector rank is different. Let us see it through a table.

The above posts can differ from state to state.

State Police Departments

• In each state, there are one or more police zones. Each zone is further divided into police ranges. There are Commissionerate systems of division as well in some states. Each state police department is headed by a DGP rank officer and they are assisted by Additional DGPs. These DGPs report to the Home Minister and Home Secretary of the respective State governments. Zones and ranges are headed by IGP and Deputy IGP respectively. Whereas the Commissionerate system is headed by the Police Commissioner. 
• Ranges are divided into Districts. Large districts are headed by SSPs, whereas small districts are headed by SPs. SSPs are often assisted by SP and Additional SP as the area of operation is large. The responsibilities are divided across city, rural, traffic and crime.
• Districts are divided into Circles or Sub-Divisions. Each of these is headed by a Circle Officer (CO) or Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) who is a DSP rank officer.
•  A circle or sub-division has several police stations. These police stations are headed by an SHO (Station House Officer). SHOs are ‘Inspector’ or ‘Sub-Inspector’ level officers.

Indian Police Ranks and Salary

The Indian Police Force is not a combined force. There is no such entity which can be called as Indian Police Force. The Indian Police Force is organised in different states according to their preference and convenience. The Indian Police ranks and salaries differ from state to state. 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 Superintendent of Police (Dy. SP)
• Superintendent of Police (SP)
• Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)
• Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG)
• 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

All the state government prescribes different badges to different state police officers for identification and protocol purpose. The Police officers are required to wear the prescribed uniform for their post. In addition to the uniform, the government also prescribes badges to each of the posts. The candidates can see below the Police Ranks and Badges as assigned in the state

Police Ranks and Insignia

Police Officers Salary

The candidates should understand that the Police is a state subject which comes under the 'Law and Order' entry in the State list. Same as the ranks, the Salary of the Police officers is also different from state to state. The salary of the state police machinery is decided and paid by the state government. On the other hand, the Salary of an IPS officer is decided by the Union Government of India but paid by the respective state governments.

Read More: Police Recruitment 2024

2-Star Police Ranks In India

The candidates should note that the stars represent the level of responsibility and power assigned to the officer. Higher the number of stars means higher the power and responsibility. The Two-Stars are assigned to the officer of Sub-Inspector rank (SI). The Head Constable has only one star on his shoulder.

3-Star Police Rank in India

The police officer of the Inspector rank and above has three stars. The candidates should note that as the rank ascends, the stars are replaced by Ashok Emblem and further up in the Hierarchy, it is replaced by a Swords.

Ranks and Stars of Police Officers

The candidates can see below the rank and the stars assinged on the Police Uniform.

Police Rank in IG Police System	Corresponding Stars on Uniform	Insignia
Constable	No Star
Lance Naik/Havaldar	No Star - Two Red Strips
Havaldar/ Senior Constable	No Star - Three Red Strips
Head Constable/Assistant Sub-Inspector	One Star, One Red Strip and One Blue Strip
Sub-Inspector	Two Star, One Red Strip and One Blue Strip
Inspector	Three Star
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy. SP)/ ASP	Three Star, One Red Strip and One Blue Strip
Assistant Superintendent of Police (Indian Police Service) - IPS	Three Star & IPS Badge
Additional Superintendent of Police (Indian Police Service) - IPS	Ashok Emblem & IPS Badge
Superintendent of Police	Ashok Emblem, One Star & IPS Badge
Senior Superintendent of Police	Ashok Emblem, Two Star & IPS Badge
Deputy Inspector General of Police	Ashok Emblem, Three Star & IPS Badge
Inspector-General of Police (IGP)	One Star, Cross Swords & IPS Badge
Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Director-General of Police (DGP) /SDGP	Ashok Emblem, Cross Swords & IPS Badge

The candidates can see below the details of Police Ranks and their full form

Police Ranks and their Full Form

There is no uniformity in the Police Ranks across India because it is a state subject, and every state has a different set of rules and regulations that govern their police force. Let us see the full form of the Police Ranks: