Commissioner of Police

Commissioners of Police (also known as Police Commissioners) in India are IPS officers who head the police force in a police commissionerate. A police commissionerate can combine several adjoining districts under it. A Police Commissioner holds higher executive powers than those available to a Superintendent of Police (SP) or Senior SP (SSP) in charge of the police force of a district. Commissioner of Police (CP) is a post that can be held by an IPS officer of the rank SP and above, depending upon the sanction provided by the respective state government (or in case of Delhi, by the Government of India). History and description Traditionally at the district level, the Superintendent of Police (SP) or Senior SP (SSP) maintains law and order by working with the District Magistrate (DM). Under the Commissioners of Police (CP) system, the magisterial powers of DM are given to the CP and to sanctioned police officers under him/her (e.g., Special/Joint/Additional/Deputy/Assistant CP). For large metropolitan cities, the CP system is generally considered more suitable policing system. Commissionerates A Police Commissionerate's jurisdiction can consist of several adjoining districts. The Hyderabad City Police commissionerate since 1847 AD, established in the erstwhile Hyderabad State by the Nizams is the oldest police commissionerate in India. The British India government brought the CP system first to Kolkata and Chennai in 1856, and followed it in Mumbai in 1864. Commissioners of Police Commissioners of Police in India are IPS officers who head the police force in a commissionerate. They hold higher executive powers than those available to a Superintendent of Police (SP) or Senior SP (SSP) in charge of the police force of a district. Commissioner of Police (CP) is a post that can be held by an IPS officer of the rank SP and above, depending upon the sanction provided by the respective state government (or in case of Delhi, by the Government of India).