Criminology

Police Science and Law Enforcement

Police Administration Concepts- Organizational set up of Indian Police- Hierarchy, Rank and File
Structure, Power & Authority, Span of Control, Unity of Command - Recruitment and Training

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 Role Name Affiliation
Principal Investigator Prof. G.S. Bajpai Professor, NLU, Delhi

Paper Coordinator Dr. Mithilesh Narayan Assistant Professor, Sardar Patel

Bhatt University of Police, Security and
Criminal Justice, Jodhpur
Content Writer/Author Dr. Swikar Lama Assistant Professor, Sardar Patel
University of Police, Security and
Criminal Justice, Jodhpur
Content Reviewer Prof. Arvind Tewari Professor, TISS, Mumbai

DESCRIPTION OF MODULE

Items Description of Module

Subject Name Criminology
Paper Name Police Science and Law Enforcement
Module Name/Title Police Administration Concepts- Organizational set up of Indian Police-
Hierarchy, Rank and File Structure, Power & Authority, Span of Control,
Unity of Command - Recruitment and Training
Module Id Crim/PSLE/II
Objectives Learning Outcome:

 To make the learners understand the Police Administration in

India;
 To make the learners understand various organizational set up of
police in India
 To acquaint the learners with the process relating to Police.
 To make the learners understand the different aspects of the
police related to Hierarchy, Rank and File Structure, Power &
Authority, Span of Control, Unity of Command - Recruitment
and Training

Prerequisites General understanding of the Police Administration and Police

Organization in India.

Key words Police, Rank, Power, Recruitment, Training

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Police Administration Concepts- Organizational set up of Indian Police- Hierarchy, Rank and File
Structure, Power & Authority, Span of Control, Unity of Command - Recruitment and Training

1. Introduction: Police forces are government organizations charged with the responsibilities of
maintaining law and order. The word comes from the French, and less directly from the Greek “politia”,
referring to government or administration; the word police was coined in France in the 18 th century. The
police may also be known as constabulary, after constables, who were an early manifestation of police
officers.
Police are often used as an emergency service and may provide a public safety function at large
gatherings, as well as in emergencies, disasters, and search & rescue situations. To provide prompt
response in emergencies, the police often coordinate their operations with fire and emergency medical
services. In many countries there is a common emergency service number that allow the police,
firefighters or medical services to summoned to an emergency.
Police are also responsible for reporting minor offences by issuing citations which typically may
result in the imposition of fines, particularly for violations of traffic law. Police sometimes involve
themselves in the maintenance of public order, even where no legal transgressions have occurred
(Chaturvedi: 2006).
In a very simple definition Police Administration may be defined as the process, art, and science
of the management, supervision, and ethical leadership of a police agency. Without effective
administration, no organization—including a police agency—can function and fulfill its mission. Over the
centuries, police administration has evolved in several important respects—including how police have
been organized and what they considered their core strategy for providing value to the communities they
serve. The common law system endured until as late as 1829, when the London Metropolitan Police was
founded through the British Parliament’s enactment of the Metropolitan Police Act, an event that inspired
similar developments in local police organizations within the India. For example, some years later, British
rulers, set up a formal local police department in India by enactment of Police Act 1861.

2. Organizational Set Up of Indian Police: The police, in India, is a state subject and its organization
and working are governed by rules and regulations framed by the state governments. These rules and
regulations are outlined in the Police Manuals of the state police forces.
Each State/Union Territory has its separate police force. Despite the diversity of police forces, there is a
good deal that is common amongst them. This is due to four main reasons:
A. The structure and working of the State Police Forces are governed by the Police Act of 1861,
which is applicable in most parts of the country, or by the State Police Acts modeled mostly on
the 1861 legislation.
B. Major criminal laws, like the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Indian
Evidence Act etc are uniformly applicable to almost all parts of the country.
C. The Indian Police Service (IPS) is an All India Service, which is recruited, trained and managed
by the Central Government and which provides the bulk of senior officers to the State Police
Forces.
D. The quasi-federal character of the Indian polity, with specific provisions in the Constitution,
allows a coordinating and counseling role for the Centre in police matters and even authorizes it
to set up certain central police organizations.

2.1 The Organizational Structure: Superintendence over the police force in the state is exercised by the
State Government. The head of the police force in the state is the Director General of Police (DGP), who
is responsible to the state government for the administration of the police force in the state and for
advising the government on police matters.

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 2.1.1 Field Establishment – States are divided territorially into administrative units known as
districts. An officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police heads the district police force. A group of
districts form a range, which is looked after by an officer of the rank of Deputy Inspector General of
Police. Some states have zones comprising two or more ranges, under the charge of an officer of the rank
of an Inspector General of Police.
Every district is divided into sub-divisions. A sub-division is under the charge of an officer of the
rank of ASP/ Dy.S.P. Every sub-division is further divided into a number of police stations, depending on
its area, population and volume of crime. Between the police station and the subdivision, there are police
circles in some states - each circle headed generally by an Inspector of Police.
The police station is the basic unit of police administration in a district. Under the Criminal Procedure
Code, all crime has to be recorded at the police station and all preventive, investigative and law and order
work is done from there. A police station is divided into a number of beats, which are assigned to
constables for patrolling, surveillance, collection of intelligence etc. The officer in charge of a police
station is an Inspector of Police, particularly in cities and metropolitan areas. Even in other places, the
bigger police stations, in terms of area, population, crime or law and order problems, are placed under the
charge of an Inspector of Police. In rural areas or smaller police stations, the officer in charge is usually a
Sub-Inspector of Police.

State

Zone A Zone B

Range A Range B Range C

District A District B

Sub-
division

Circle A

Police
Station
Figure 1.1 – Hierarchy of field establishment of Police in a State.

The above shown figure depicts the field establishment of police in a state at different level. To enable the
police have greater and speedier reach and the public to gain easier access to police help, police posts
have been set up under police stations, particularly where the jurisdiction of the police station, in terms of
area and population, is large (CHRI Report).

2.2 Hierarchy of Ranks: Gazetted officers include all the Indian Police Service officers which are Class I
officers of the cadre and all State Police Services officers of and above the rank of Inspector of Police (PI)

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which are Class II Gazetted or PI (Inspector of Police) who controls a police station in Metropolitan/
Commissionairate Metropolitan Police and State Police forces respectively.

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 Director General of Police (DGP) {In-charge of the State Police Force}

Additional Director General of Police (Addl. DGP)

Inspector General of Police (IGP) {In-charge of a zone, which comprises few ranges}

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dy. IGP) {In-charge of a range, which comprises a group
of districts}

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) {In-charge of the bigger District}

Superintendent of police (SP) {In-charge of the District}

Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl. SP)

Assistant/ Deputy Superintendent of Police (ASP/Dy. SP) {In-charge of a Sub-

division in the district}

Inspector of Police {In-charge of a Police Station}

Sub-Inspector of Police (SI) {In-charge of a smaller Police Station}

Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI) {Staff of the Police Station}

Police Head Constable (HC) {Staff of the Police Station}

Police Constable {Staff of Police Station}

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 Figure 1.2 – Hierarchy of Ranks at different field establishment of Police in a State.

2.2.1 Badges for ranks: The Indian Police Service (IPS) uses insignia on its shoulder flashes
which are similar to those used by the Indian Army. Since Police Inspectors and officers below this rank
are recruited by states individually, the insignias vary slightly though the rank structure is the same. For
example, Maharashtra Police constables use Yellow Epaulet on blue background for Constable Ranks
while Tamil Nadu Police uses Black Chevrons on red background on right sleeve.

Figure 1.3 – Badges used by Police officers as per Hierarchy of Ranks at different field establishment of
Police in a State (Maharashtra State Police).

3. Span of Control: “Span of control” is defined as the number of subordinates in an organization who
report directly to one supervisor. Span of control is one measure of organizational and management
effectiveness. However, calculating and reporting span of control can vary. Span of control best practices
provide guidelines on which organizational factors to consider when determining an ideal span of control.
These factors include job complexity and similarity, geographic proximity of employees, the amount of
coordination required to complete tasks, employee abilities and empowerment, and the ability and skill
level of management. The origin of the span of control terminology is attributed to British General Sir
Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton (1853‐1947) when he used it in reference to military application
(Hamilton, 1921).

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 An organization’s structure determines how roles and responsibilities are delegated, coordinated
and controlled, and how information flows between management levels. In a centralized structure,
decision making is more concentrated, and closer control is exercised over departments. In a decentralized
structure, the decision making is more distributed. The structure of an organization should be a means to
high performance and should support the organization’s objective. Span of control is a tool used to
determine how relationships and reporting structures are established in an organization, and whether the
structure is centralized or decentralized. Span of control directly affects the organization’s
communication, employee motivation, employee growth, reporting relationships, labor costs, and
administrative overhead cost.
As it is earlier discussed that Span of control may be defined as the number of subordinates
reporting directly to one manager or supervisor. For example, a span of control of 5 indicates that 5
employees report to one manager. It can also be reported as a ratio, dividing the organization’s total
number of non-managers by the total number of managers and supervisors. For example, a department
that has three managers and three subordinates has a ratio of 1:1. When calculating span of control it is
important to define managers and supervisors, to determine whether temporary employees are included,
and whether full-time equivalent (FTE) or the number of employees are counted.
Span of control is referred to as being narrow or wide. A narrow span of control indicates that one
manager directly supervises few subordinates. Organizations with a narrow span of control also tend to
have a larger number of hierarchy levels. Since there are more managers in a narrow span of control, this
structure also tends to be costly and communication between the levels of hierarchy and management are
less effective. A narrow span of control is suitable for organizations whose employees are located in
various geographical locations. A wide span of control is found in organizations where one manager
directly supervises many employees. The organization tends to have few levels of hierarchy and fewer
managers. Having fewer managers in an organization tends to increase cost efficiency, improve
communication, and speed up the decision-making process. See Figure 1.4 for a comparison of narrow
and wide span of control. Early organizational management literature and guidelines focused on
determining the optimal span of control number that would apply to all organizations. Span of control
guidelines and best practices indicate that a flatter organization is more efficient and productive and has
better communication between management levels. However, over time span of control guidelines have
evolved to stress that it is best for each organization to determine its ideal span of control. Span of control
is dependent on many factors, which an organization needs to consider when determining the ideal span
of control. Factors to consider for determining appropriate span of control are listed in Figure 1.4
(Portland City Auditor Report).

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 Figure 1.4 – Factors to help determine appropriate spans of control.

In examining the span of control in police, the department has a hierarchical structure, with the police
constable and the Director General of Police at the two extremes of the organization. The base of the
police organization is very heavy, with constabulary accounting for about 85% of the total strength. The
upper subordinates i.e. Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors and Assistant Sub-Inspectors constitute about 14% of
total strength. The officers from the rank of DySP/ASP to the DGP account for less than 1% of the total
police strength.

4. System of Dual Control at the District Level: Section 3 of the Police Act, 1861 vested the
superintendence of the state police force in the state government. A system of dual control at the district
level is introduced under Sec.4. It places the police forces under the District Superintendent of Police, but
subject to the “general control and direction” of the District Magistrate. The District Magistrate was not a
professional but a general administrator, whose charter included not merely the executive but even some
judicial functions. This was done deliberately because the functioning of the District Magistrate as the
chief officer of the district was considered essential for the maintenance of British rule in India. The
British had realized that to perpetuate their rule in the country, they must have a police force that was
totally subservient to the executive. Thus a system of dual control at the local level was introduced- one
under the head of the police forces in the district and the other under the chief executive of the district i.e.
the District Magistrate (CHRI Report).

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5. Unity of Command: Unity of command is a classic principle of management that is used in many
hierarchical organizations, such as the military, government agencies, and corporations. Unity of
command holds that an employee should only be answerable to one person. In other words Unity of
command provides that an employee is responsible to only one supervisor, who in turn is responsible to
only one supervisor, and so on up the organizational hierarchy. This is true even if the top of the
organization is led by a group of people.
This principle states that an individual should get orders from a single superior so that he does not
get confused and can discharge his duties effectively. This can be understood by examining the following
figure.
Right Approach Wrong Approach

Superior

Subordinate
Police organizations, like all organizations, rely on distinctive structural forms and management processes
to maintain accountability. Characteristically, their structures are centralized with functionally defined
bureaus, and their management processes emphasize preservice training and elaborate command and
control mechanisms. In many respects, police organizations have typified the classical command and
control organization that emphasizes top-level decision making: flow of orders from executives down to
line personnel, flow of information up from line personnel to executives, layers of dense supervision,
unity of command, elaborate rules and regulations, elimination of discretion, and simplification of work
tasks.

6. Recruitment and Training: Recruitment to the state police is done generally at three levels -
Constable, Sub-Inspector/Asst. Sub Inspector and Deputy Superintendent of Police. In addition, there is
recruitment to the IPS at the level of Assistant Superintendent of Police. Since Police Constable is the
lowest rank in the force, recruitment to this rank is done directly. For the other ranks, vacancies are filled
either by direct recruitment or by promotion.
6.1 Educational Qualifications: For recruitment to the rank of Constable, most states have
prescribed High School as the minimum educational qualification, though in some states like Bihar,
Nagaland and Tripura, even primary or middle class passes as the minimum standard of qualification. The
Committee on Police Training (1973) had recommended the High School examination or its equivalent to
be the minimum qualification for recruitment to the rank of constable both in the civil and armed
branches. The National Police Commission (NPC), 1980 had endorsed this recommendation. However it
is evident that some states have not implemented these recommendations. The minimum educational
qualification for recruitment to the level of Sub-Inspector and Dy. SP is generally graduation in many
states, except in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Tripura.
6.2 Age Limit: The National Police Commission (NPC) had recommended that the minimum age
for a constable’s recruitment should be 17 years and the maximum 21 years. These recommendations too
have not been implemented in most states. The minimum age limit is 18 years in almost all the states and
the upper age limit for general category candidates ranges from 20 to 27 years. There is considerable
variation in states about the age prescribed for recruitment to Sub-Inspectors. The minimum age limit is

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19 to 21 years while the upper age limit varies from 24 to 31 years. There is usual age relaxation for the
candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
6.3 Physical Standards: There are variations in physical standards prescribed for recruitment.
Generally for Constables, the minimum height is in the range of 165cm (5’ 5’’) to 170.18cm (5’ 7’’), with
relaxation of 2 cm for persons belonging to hilly and tribal areas. The minimum chest measurement is
generally 78.70 cm (31’’) unexpanded and 86.3cm (34’’) expanded.
6.4 Process of Recruitment: Constables are recruited on a district/battalion basis. Recruitment is
generally made by a Board presided over by the District SP or the Commandant of an armed police
battalion. In some states such as Rajasthan and Tamilnadu, the selection board is headed by an officer of
the rank of a DIG or IG. The selection process involves physical measurement, efficiency test, written
examination, interview, medical examination and police verification.
Usually the State Public Service Commission centrally recruits Sub-Inspectors. The procedure
involves passing a physical efficiency test and a written examination followed by a mental ability test and
an interview. Recruitment to the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police is made through a written
examination followed by an interview. The Commission prepares a list of candidates in order of merit as
determined on the basis of marks obtained and sends it to the government.
Recruitment to the Indian Police Service is done on the basis of a combined examination
conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for all India and other allied services. A preliminary
test is first conducted, which results in weeding out a large number of candidates. Those who qualify are
allowed to appear in the main examination. The successful candidates are then put through a personality
test at the time of interview. A final list is prepared on the basis of performance in the main examination
and in the interview.
Recruitment of Sub-Inspectors and Dy. SP is done both by direct recruitment and by promotion.
The quota for direct recruitment again differs from state to state, but generally it is 50%. Direct
recruitment to the IPS is done only to the extent of 66 & 2/3% of the cadre strength and 33 & 1/3% of the
posts are filled by promotion of officers from the State Police Service cadre.
6.5 Training: Most states have their police training colleges or academies that impart training to
directly recruited Sub-Inspectors and Deputy Superintendents of Police and training schools for the
training of constabulary. In addition, most central police organizations have established their own training
institutions, which organize not only basic training for their officers but also specialized courses for them
and for others. There are three Central Detective Training Schools under the Bureau of Police Research
and Development, which organize special courses to train investigating officers in advanced scientific
methods of investigating crimes. The National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science under the
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India runs training courses not only for police and forensic
science personnel, but also for officers from other agencies of the criminal justice system. Four types of
training courses are organized by police training institutions. These include:
1. Basic induction level courses for fresh recruits.
2. Pre-promotion in-service courses for those about to be promoted.
3. Refresher courses.
4. Specialized courses (CHRI Report).

The Government of India constituted the Committee on Police Training on November 10,
1971. This body also came to be known as the Gore Committee on Police Training, as
Professor M.S. Gore, a famous Indian social scientist and former Director of the Tata
Institute of Social Sciences Bombay, was its chairman. In addition, Mr. M.M.L. Hooja, the
former Director of the Intelligence Bureau, was Vice Chairman, along with nine members,

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 including eminent police officers, academicians and bureaucrats. Its Member Secretary
was Dr. A. Gupta, the first Director of the Bureau of Police Research and Development,
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

The terms of reference of the Committee required it to suggest the objectives that should
govern all arrangements for training of police officers; as well as the basic shortcomings in
the arrangements, and finally measures to be taken to bring about the desired
improvement.

The recommendations made by the Committee covered a broad range of issues involving
the need to:

 impart necessary knowledge and skills

 create the right attitudes
 generate effective decision making ability
 stimulate critical and innovative thinking

The main thrust of the Committee's recommendations was towards enlarging the content
of police training from law and order and crime prevention to a greater sensitivity and
understanding of human behaviour, and imbibing of communication skills and
development of attitudes that promote service oriented activities

8. Conclusion: The Indian Police face various challenges with regard to functional autonomy, operational
accountability, centralization of functions, and lack of specialization and in-adequate pace of
modernization. These are the basic and fundamental prerequisites for successful functioning of a police
organization in a democratic society. Various efforts have been made to evaluate and analyze the factors
responsible for bringing about the requisite reforms in the police department, and even concrete and well
meaning recommendations of various Commissions and Committees are available to bring about the
requisite improvements. Democratization, decentralization, professionalism, specialization,
modernization, management, orientation and autonomy recognition are some of the methods, which can
enable the Indian Police face and tackle the various challenges being faced by them. Efforts at the
individual, organizational and governmental levels will have to be suitably coordinated and implemented
in the right spirit for achieving the desired objectives in this regard.

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