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About Police Officer

A career as a Police Officer is regarded as one of the most prestigious positions in society. If you have a passion for serving society, the police officer is the right career to pick. There are numerous designations for police officers in India. Some of the major responsibilities of the police officer are promoting and preserving public order, investigating crimes, identifying the problems and situations that could potentially lead to crimes, maintaining law & order and much more. In order to become a police officer, aspirants need to maintain a good physique and a healthy body. However, It is not an easy task to become a police officer in India, as the selection process involves both written and physical tests. Police officers enjoy ultimate respect in society and it is one of the lucrative career options in the public sector.

Eligibility to become Police Officer

'How to Become a Police Officer?' is a question that is in every aspirants' mind. But first, an aspirant must decide which designation she/ he is targeting. The eligibility and recruitment process of various designations under the police department. is different. If you are targeting for SP/ ASP/ DSP, you must clear IPS examination. Meanwhile, For other posts, state governments hold separate recruitment exams. The recruitment exam will comprise of both a written and physical test. The candidates must meet the proper height and weight description, depending on the post. The details regarding physique will be specified in the recruitment notifications.

Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is another authority that conducts the recruitment exam for Sub-Inspector of Police in several states.

Subjects Combination - Students from any stream/ subject in Class 12/ UG/ PG can become police officers after clearing the recruitment exam and physical tests.

Academic Eligibility -

Name of the Post	Eligibility	Recruitment Exam
SP/ ASP	Bachelor’s Degree with a lower age limit of 21 years.	IPS
Assistant Commissioner or DSP	Bachelor’s Degree with a lower age limit of 21 years	IPS
Circle Inspector and Sub-Inspector	Bachelor’s Degree	Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
Assistant Sub-Inspector	Head Constable with at least 5-7 years of experience are often promoted as Assistant Sub-Inspector	State-Level Recruitment Exam or SSC
Police Head Constable	Class 12	State-Level Recruitment Exam
Constable	Class 12 and lower age limit is 18, while, upper age limit is 25.	State-Level Recruitment Exam

Types of Job Roles Police Officer

There are several designations in Indian Police Service/ Department, and the recruitment for various posts varies from each other. All the designations of a police officer are listed below: -

Superintendent of Police (SP)/ Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP): ASP and SP are in-charge of a large urban area within the district or Deputy Commander of an Armed Police or Special Commando Battalion.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)/ Assistant Commissioner: Deputy Superintendent of Police is a state police officer who belongs to provincial police forces.

Inspector of Police/ Circle Inspector: Inspector of Police is the officer-in-charge of a police station in a particular region or locality. Inspector’s post is higher than a sub inspector’s post.

Assistant Inspector of Police: Assistant Inspector of Police is the assistant officer-in-charge of a police station in a particular region or locality. Inspector’s post is higher than a sub inspector’s post. They take the responsibility of the police station in case of absence of Inspector of Police.

Sub-Inspector of Police: Sub-Inspector of Police is the lowest-ranking officer who under Indian Police rules and regulations can file a charge sheet in court, and is usually the first investigating officer.

Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police: An Assistant sub-inspector is a non-gazetted police officer ranking above a police head constable and below a sub-inspector.

Police Head Constable: Police Head Constable assists Sub-Inspector of Office in carrying out day-to-day activities of the police station.

Police Constable: It is the lowest rank in the Department of Police in India. The major responsibility of the police constable is to follow the orders of the head of the police stations and head constables. They should carry out the responsibility given by the superiors.

Employment Sector/Industry for Police Officer

In India, jobs in the police department come under the government sector. The recruitment of candidates for the highest posts such as SP/ ASP/ DSP is based on IPS (Indian Police Service) exams. Recruitment to the other posts is based on the state-level recruitment exams conducted by the State Public Service Commission (SPSC).

Top Recruiting Agencies for Police Officers

The Central and State Government are the only authorities that can recruit police officers in India. No private agencies in India can recruit eligible candidates as police officers. The government (central or state) is responsible for releasing the official notification for the recruitment of police officers for different designations. The recruitment notifications will either be published in newspapers, websites and/or on different verified news channels of India. Therefore, the aspirants must keep themselves updated with the latest notifications of the government through these mediums of communication.

Pay Scale/Salary of Police Officer

The salary of a Police Officer varies with the post one is assigned. Listed below is the salary structure of a Police Officer.

Job Profile	Salary Per Month
SP/ ASP	Rs. 70,000 - Rs. 1,09203
DSP/ Assistant Commissioner	Rs. 30,600 - Rs. 69,300
Circle Inspector	Rs. 19,600 – Rs. 49,100
Sub-Inspector/ Assistant Sub-Inspector	Rs. 15000 to Rs. 39,800
Head Constable	Rs. 9000 to Rs. 24,200
Police Constable	Rs. 7,000 - 18500

Books & Study Material to Become Police Officer

Here are some of the important books that a person can refer to clear police officer recruitment exam: -

• Police Exam Preparation Book by Norman Hall
• SSC Sub-Inspector Recruitment Exam by Disha Publications
• Kiran’s SSC Constable Exam
• SSC Delhi Police Executive Recruitment Exam by R. Gupta
• Haryana Police Constable Recruitment Exam by R. Gupta
• Vijetha Competitions – Andhra Pradesh Police Recruitment Exam
• Kiran’s Kolkata Police Constable Recruitment Exam Practice Book
• SSC Constable Recruitment Exam (Delhi) by VVK Subburaj

Apart from the above, students need to refer state-level police recruitment exam books. Several publications have made these books available in local languages.

Pros of becoming a Police Officer

• Being a police officer is one of the prestigious positions in society, and are treated with dignity and respect in society.
• Police officers enjoy numerous financial and non-financial benefits of government schemes apart from salary such as pensions, housing, ration subsidies etc.

Cons of becoming a Police Officer

• Police officers, particularly lower-ranking officers face severe work pressure.
• Unusual working hours lead to stress
• Salary paid to SI, Inspector of Police and constables in India is low.