Indian Police Service
| Service Overview | |
| Abbreviation | IPS |
|---|---|
| Date of establishment |
|
| Country | India |
| Staff college | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad, Telangana |
| Cadre controlling authority | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Minister responsible | Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Civil Service |
| Cadre strength | 5,047 members (2023) (4,344 officers in position; 703 position vacant) |
| Selection | Civil Services Examination |
| Association | IPS Central Association |
| Head of the All India Services | |
| Cabinet Secretary | T. V. Somanathan, IAS |
The Indian Police Service (IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Empire.
Along with the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Forest Service (IFS), the IPS is part of the All India Services – its officers are employed by both the Union Government and by individual states.
The service provides leadership to various state and central police forces, including the Central Armed Police Forces (BSF, SSB, CRPF, CISF, and ITBP), the National Security Guard (NSG), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), Special Protection Group (SPG), National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).