IPS Officer - How to become an IPS Officer

IPS Officer - Indian Police Services Officer: To be one out of three hundred thousand is an achievement in itself. Yes, this is what one has to be at one of the most coveted positions in the civil administration of the Indian Democratic setup. If you are competing with nearly 3,00,000 young and brilliant minds of the country and getting to such a high profile position, it itself brings a sense of importance to the position you are holding on. This profession not only provides you with the self-satisfaction but also provides the opportunity to show your very best. To add to it you get a highly respected post in the internal security system of a vast and diversified country and the chance to serve the society by taking head on some antisocial elements of the country.

But to reach this coveted position one has to be really diligent and hardworking. To reach to that level one has to really toil hard for nearly 2 years and pass through a rigorous procedure involving written tests and interviews spreading throughout a year which requires self-discipline, patience, punctuality, commitment self-confidence and a burning desire to be at the top ladder of an important organization of the country. This is a kind of career which is ever demanding. You can not afford to relax after getting the post, in fact, you have to work harder after getting the job than before getting it.

To be an (IPS) officer is not a mean thing. If you enjoy power then you also have to accept the responsibility which comes along with it. To handle things effectively a lot of hard work, stamina, alertness of mind, adaptability to follow difficult time schedules, good team spirit is required as this is not a time bound job. This is a career in which you are not only supposed to work yourself but you have to make your team, work hard for the society you have vowed to serve while joining this career.

Eligibility to be an IPS Officer

Educational Qualification
To be eligible for becoming an IPS officer, the candidate must possess a degree from an Indian University or an equivalent qualification. Those in the final year of a degree course can also appear in the Preliminary Examination taken every year by UPSC.

Age Limits

• The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years on 1st August of the year of examination and must not have attained 30 years of age on that date.
• The upper age limit will be relaxed by 3 years for OBC candidates and 5 years for SC/ST candidates.
• The upper age limit is also relaxed in favour of Defense Services Personnel.

Other Eligibility Conditions
These services involve decision making towards the internal security of the country and taking into account the sensitivity of the job, the aspirants have to be eligible under certain specific conditions as given ahead.

1. For IPS, the candidate must be a citizen of India.
2. For other services, a candidate must be either:

• a citizen of India, or
• a subject of Nepal, or
• a subject of Bhutan, or
• a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962, with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
• a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

The process to become an IPS officer

To become an IPS officer one has to follow the given steps:

Step 1
As a first step, the aspirant has to procure the “Application Form” along with “Information Brochure” from any of the “Head Post Offices or Post Offices” spread throughout the country and sent the filled Application form to:

The Secretary
Union Public Service Commission
Dholpur House
New Delhi - 110011.

Note:The notification for the examination with relevant details regarding rules and syllabus is published in the month of December in the 'Employment News' / 'Rozgar Samachar', 'Gazette of India', and in some leading Newspapers of the country.

Step 2
In the month of May or June, the aspirants have to take the “Preliminary Exam” consisting of two papers.

The optional subject for the second paper may be chosen from the following given subjects:

Note: This exam is just a qualifying exam for the Final exam and scores obtained in this exam are not added to the final result.

Step 3
Those candidates who are declared qualified in the “Preliminary examination” are supposed to take the final exam (normally held in the month of October) having the following papers:

Step 4
Once you are through, the final stage is the interview. The aspirants are grilled in the interview to test their personality and mental ability. Then the final list of the successful candidates is prepared and the candidates who have secured very good rank out of 400-450(approx.) top ranks are admitted to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy as IPS probationers. Here they undergo rigorous training of nearly one year in which all aspects of policing and administration are taken care of. After completion of their training, they are posted as per requirements of the Central and State Governments Police and Investigative Organisation.

Being All India Services, the new IPS incumbent's services are allotted to various state cadre under the Cadre System. The Cadre system is allocated on a basis of lottery and the top rank holder of each state may get a chance to get their home state if he had applied for one.

IPS officer Job Description

The IPS  officer mainly takes care of the law and order, crime detection and prevention, traffic control, accident prevention and management etc. Beside these routine duties, the other duties of an IPS officer may include VIP security, border policing, railway policing, tackling corruption in public life, counter-terrorism, checking smuggling, drug trafficking, economic/cyber crimes and help in disaster management. IPS officers can also be leading officers in intelligence agencies like RAW, IB and CBI etc. or paramilitary forces like BSF and ITBP etc. 

IPS officers Job Prospects & Career options

An IPS being an All Indian Services Officer works for both the Central and State Governments. He serves the State Government in various capacities ranging from an ASP at the beginning of his career to the DGP (The apex of the police force in any state). He can also serve the Central Government in various civil defences and paramilitary organizations like the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Central Bureau of Investigation, Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) etc. The IPS mainly takes care of law and order, a responsibility shared with the IAS; crime prevention and detection; traffic control, accident prevention and management. Hierarchy( In descending order from top to bottom) in the IPS line up.

• Director General of Police (Top Most Post)
• Inspector General of Police 
• Deputy Inspector General of Police 
• Additional Commissioner of Police (Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Thane) 
• Superintendent of Police in selection grade with 13+ years of service 
• Additional Superintendent of Police 
• Assistant Superintendent in charge of sub-division
• IPS Probationer

Director General of Police DGP (TOP MOST POST)- This is the apex of the  Police administrative setup of a state or central police organisation in India.

IPS officer Salary

Salary of IPS officers is quite good especially after the implementation of the fifth pay commission. Entry Level IPS officers are paid around Rs.40,000 a month, Middle-Level IPS officers get around Rs.60,000 a month whereas Senior Level IPS Officers get around Rs.80,000 a month. Besides their pay IPS officers are also entitled to special perks depending on where one is posted. This is, however, a variable amount specific to some locations only. 

The Government of India has fixed salary grades for IPS officers. These, however, keep on changing with new pay commission Present pay scale of IPS are as follows:-

Note: The figures only provide an idea of the pay scales. Different branches of the services have different scales of pay. Even personnel of the same branches may have different pay according to their area of posting and responsibility they are holding at a particular time.
In addition to the salary IPS officers receive various types of allowances such as Dearness Allowance, City Compensatory Allowance, Leave Travel Allowance, Medical and Subsidized Housing.