Entry Level Qualification 

12

Career Fields 

Government & Defense Services

For Specially Abled 

Career Entrance Exam 

SSC CAPF, UP DAROGA, UP CONSTABLE, IB ACIO, UPSC IPS

About Career 

1. As a Police Officer, you will work primarily to ensure the safety and security of the public at large, individuals and properties by enforcing the law and order in your area of operations. You will maintain peace and law and order by preventing and investigating illegal activities and crimes. As a Police Officer, you will work either under the Ministry of Home Affairs and Government of India or under the Government of the respective States. Thus, you may serve the central or a state government. You will work at the central level as an IPS (Indian Police Services) officer (you will deputed to a State or to Central Armed Police Forces such as CRPF, CISF, and BSF) and as a state police officer at state level.

2. As an IPS officer you may lead and command the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) such as Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) etc. and Indian Intelligence Agencies such as Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) etc. in all states and union territories. You will also serve State and City Police Forces in leadership positions, as part of the IPS cadre posted in various States across India.

3. A State Police Officer recruited by a State Government is confined to the recruiting State only. Sometimes, you would work along with Indian Armies. In general, State Police Offices serve under IPS Officers. Some of the State Police Officers may get promoted to ranks equivalent to those of an IPS officer.

Key roles and responsibilities

As a police officer, you would be responsible for performing the following roles and responsibilities:

1. As a police officer, your primary role is to make sure that people are following all the rules and orders enforced by law on them.

2. You will be responsible for the detection and investigation of crime and criminals.

3. You will ensure the safety and protection of people from corruption, human trafficking, traffic measures etc.

4. You would coordinate the operations in an emergency or disaster situation.

5. As a police officer, you would provide security cover to the VIPs, Government Officers, Chief Ministers, Prime Ministers etc.

6. You will conduct patrolling of areas for the safety of the people from criminals in the area assigned to you.

7. If there will be any criminal scene, you will conduct and collect the evidences, file the complaint, prepare the detailed reports, obtain warrants and arrest the suspect.

8. You will interrogate arrested people, prepare charge sheets and present them in appropriate court of law.

9. You will help in countering and tackling the border security issues and terrorism.

10. You may play a leading role by supervising the local police assigned under you.

11. You would help and coordinate the district’s attorney officer by providing them the criminal suspects and present before the court.

12. You will assist the other law enforcing agencies by providing them information on terrorism and national security.

13. You will help the ministry of central and state government, public undertakings in making several managerial and legal policies.

Career Entry Pathway 

Class 10 with any subjects - Class 11-12 with any subject as per scheme of studies – UG in any subject – UPSC Civil Services Exam.

After Class 11-12 with any subject as per scheme of studies. Now you can study any subject in your under graduation. Then you are eligible for appearing in the Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) provided your age will lie between 21-35 years for general category though there is relaxation for OBCs, SC/STs.

Class 10 with any subjects – Class 11-12 with any subject as per scheme of studies – UG in any subject – PG in any subject- UPSC Civil Services exam

After Class 11-12 with any subject as per scheme of studies and then study for undergraduate program in any Discipline followed by post-graduation in any Discipline. Then you can sit for IPS/Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) provided your age will lie between 21-35 years for general category though there is relaxation for OBCs, SC/STs.

Class 10 with any subjects – Class 11-12 with any subject as per scheme of studies – UG in any Discipline with any subjects – State Civil Services Exam

After Class 11-12 with any subject as per scheme of studies. and then study for Undergraduate program in any Discipline with any subjects. Then you can sit for State Civil Services exam which is a state level civil services examination for recruiting state civil services officers including state police officers provided your age will lie between 21-35 years for general category though there is relaxation for OBCs, SC/STs.

Class 10 with any subjects – Class 11-12 with any subject as per scheme of studies – UG in any Discipline – PG in any Discipline – State Civil Services Exam

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After Class 11-12 with any subject as per scheme of studies, then study for Undergraduate program in any Discipline followed by post-graduation in any Discipline. Then you can sit for the State Civil Services exam which is a state level civil services examination for recruiting state civil services officers including the state police officers provided your age will lie between 21-35 years for general category though there is relaxation for OBCs, SC/STs.

Required Qualification & Competencies 

To become a Police Officer, after your Bachelor degree in any subject, you can either appear for the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) conducted Civil Services Examination or opt for Indian Police Services as your preferred service or you can appear for a State Public Service Commission conducted State Civil Services Examination and opt for State Police Services.

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Competencies Required

Interests

1. Realistic: You should have interests for Realistic Occupations. Realistic occupations involve more practical and hands-on activities than paperwork or office work. Realistic occupations often involve physical activities for getting things done using various tools and equipment.

2. Enterprising: You should have interests for Enterprising Occupations. Enterprising occupations involve taking initiatives, initiating actions, and planning to achieve goals, often business goals. These involve gathering resources and leading people to get things done. These require decision making, risk takingand action orientation.

3. Conventional: You should have interests for Conventional Occupations. Conventional occupations involve repetitive and routine tasks as well as fixed processes or procedures for getting things done. These occupations involve working more with data, systems, and procedures and less with ideas or creativity.

4. Investigative: You should have interests for Investigative Occupations. Investigative occupations involve working with ideas and quite a lot of thinking, often abstract or conceptual thinking. These involve learning about facts and figures; involve use of data analysis, assessment of situations, decision making and problem solving.

Abilities

1. Bodily-Kinaesthetic Intelligence: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and bodily motion; the ability to keep or regain your body balance when in an unstable position; the ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, hands, arms, fingers, or legs.

2. Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules and common logic to specific problems to produce answers that are logical and make sense. For example, understanding the reasons behind an event or a situation using general rules and common logic.

3. Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.

4. Inter-Personal: The ability to build and maintain good relationships with others at workplaces and elsewhere.

5. Physical Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.

6. Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

7. Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Knowledge

1. Law: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, legal procedures, regulations, Government orders, etc.

2. Public Safety and Security: Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to maintain law and order situations, providing state or national security for protecting geographical territories, marine territories and sky from potential enemy attacks and protecting people and properties.

Skills

1. Active Learning: Focused and continuous learning from various sources of information, observation and otherwise for application in getting work done.

2. Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, understanding the points being made by others, asking questions, etc.

3. Coordination: Skills in working together with other people to get things done.

4. Critical Thinking: Skills in analysis of complex situations, using of logic and reasoning to understand the situations and take appropriate actions or make interpretations and inferences.

5. Judgment and Decision Making: Skills in considering pros and cons of various decision alternatives; considering costs and benefits; taking appropriate and suitable decisions.

6. Managing Human Resources: Skills in motivating, developing, and leading people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

7. Negotiation: Skills in bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

8. Persuasion: Skills in persuading others to change their minds or behaviour.

9. Problem Solving: Skills in analysis and understanding of problems, evaluating various options to solve the problems and using the best option to solve the problems.

10. Reading Comprehension: Skills in understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents

11. Supervising: Skills in Supervising and monitoring performance of others, businesses, and different projects.

Personality

1. You are always or mostly disciplined in your action and behaviour.

2. You are always self-satisfied or feel satisfied with your life in most situations.

3. You are helpful to others sometimes.

4. You remain calm in difficult situations sometimes but some other times you are anxious.

5. Sometimes you feel secure in your surroundings and situations but some other times you don't.

6. You are not a soft-hearted person.

7. You don't trust others easily.

8. You are always practical or in most situations.

Career - Job Opportunities & Profiles 

1. If you are an IPS Officer, during your training years (2 years of training), after clearing UPSC Civil Services Exam and after having successfully allotted to IPS, you will be posted as an Assistant Superintendent of Police. After your training, you will be either posted in the State Police Services or a Central Police Force as a DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) or you will be posted in a police Commissionerate (such as a City police force) as an ACP (Assistant Commissioner of Police).

2. If you are a State Police Services Officer, after your training and probation for 3 years, you will be posted as a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Work environment

As a police officer, you will be expected to be available on 24*7 basis. You will work under various circumstances such as early mornings, night shifts, weekends and sometimes you would even work on national holidays. The work will involve both office work and field work. At field work, you may have assigned to patrol the deserts, coastal and hilly areas and you would be required to work in natural hazards also. This is a very responsible job as you work for someone life’s safety and security so it requires discipline, courage, high energy, focus and attention along with physical fitness.

Career Growth

1. If you are an IPS Officer posted in a State Police Service or a Central Police Force, you will move from DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) to Superintendent of Police (SP) and then Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Inspector General of Police (IG), Additional Director General of Police (Additional DGP), and finally Director General of Police (DGP). In a Commissionerate (such as a city police force): ACP (Assistant Commissioner of Police) – DCP (Deputy Commissioner of Police) – Additional Commissioner of Police – Joint Commissioner of Police – Special Commissioner of Police – Commissioner of Police.

2. If you are a State Police Service officer, your ranks will be in between Deputy Superintendent of Police to Superintendent of Police. In between you will get a rank of an Additional Superintendent of Police. 

Salary Offered  

According to the 7^th Pay Commission of India. The salary structure of a police officer is as follows:

1. At the entry level, you will join as an Assistant Commissioner of Police. Your salary will be Rs. 56,100 to 1,77,000 per month.

2. As an Additional Superintendent of Police, your salary will be Rs. 67,700 to 1,82,000 per month.

3. As a senior Superintendent of Police, your salary will be Rs. 78,800 to 1,90,000 per month.

4. As a Deputy Inspector General of Police, your salary will be Rs 1,31,100 to 2,00,000 per month.

5. As an Inspector General of Police, you will earn around Rs 1,44,200 to 2,15,000 per month.

6. As a Director General of Police, your salary will be around Rs 2,05,400 to 2,20,000 per month.

7. As a Commissioner of Police under the rank of Director General of Police, you will earn Rs 2,25,000 per month.

Monthly Earnning In Indian Rupee​​​​​​

1. Entry level: 0 - 2 years of work experience

2. Junior Level: From 1 to 12 years of work experience

3. Mid-Level: From 5 to 20+ years of work experience

4. Senior Level: From 10 to 25+ years of work experience (there could be exceptions in some high-end technical, financial, engineering, creative, management, sports, and other careers; also in the near future, people will reach these levels much faster in many careers and in some careers, these levels will have no meaning as those careers will be completely tech skill driven such as even now, there is almost no level in a Cyber Security Expert’s job)

Famous Personalities 

Not Available 

Work Activities 

1. Addressing grievances and resolving conflicts: Handling complaints and grievance to resolve; resolving conflicts among co-workers or others at workplace or outside in relation to your work.

2. Analysing and interpreting data and information: Analysis of data and information to find facts, trends, reasons behind situations, etc.; interpretation of data to aid in decision making.

3. Assessing and determining compliance with standards, laws, rules and guidelines: Using relevant information, auditing information, processes and systems to determine whether organisations or people are complying with standards, laws, rules and guidelines.

4. Assisting and caring for people:       Assisting people in availing of services; taking care of people in different situations; offering help and services to others.

5. Communicating with co-workers and others: Communicating with people in writing, verbally or otherwise inside your workplace and various other people who have professional relationships with your place of work including vendors, government officials, etc. or with people at large.

6. Decision making and problem solving: Analysis of data and information; evaluation of alternative decisions and results of decisions; taking the right decisions and solving problems.

7. Developing and maintaining inter-personal relationships: Developing professional relationships with co-workers and others outside organisations and maintaining good relationships.

8. Exercising physically: Exercising physically using various methods, techniques, equipment and devices; exercising using a fitness regime; running.

9. Getting Information and learning: Observing, hearing, reading, using computers, or otherwise obtaining information and learning from it.

10. Handling administrative activities: Handling various administrative tasks and managing day-to-day operations.

11. Inspecting situations, events, and people: Inspecting situations, events and people to understand the reasons and causes for the situation or events to happen; inspecting people to understand reasons behind their behaviour and actions.

12. Leading: Inspiring and motivating co-workers to work to achieve specific goals; enabling and facilitating others to perform tasks effectively; addressing issues and solving problems in order to help people perform well.

13. Managing and supervising: Manging and supervising work of others; setting goals; giving instructions; monitoring work performance, etc.

14. Negotiating: Negotiating terms, conditions, costs, prices and about other issues.

15. Organising, planning and prioritising tasks: Planning and organising tasks in order to achieve work goals; prioritising tasks to achieve goals and making the best use of the time available.

16. Performing physical activities: Performing physical activities that require use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.

17. Scheduling tasks: Scheduling project timelines, tasks and activities.

18. Securing and protecting: Providing security and protection to people and facilities.

19. Updating and using relevant knowledge: Keeping updated with the latest knowledge relevant to your fields of work and use of the relevant knowledge in getting things done.

20. Using computers for work: Using computers for day-to-day office work; using computer software for various applications in day-to-day professional work; entering data and process information; for writing.

21. Working in a team: Working in a team of people; developing team; maintaining professional relationships among team members.