The Karnataka State Police is the agency responsible for enforcing law and order in the state. The Karnataka State Police has operational jurisdiction and legal jurisdiction over the state of Karnataka. The Government of Karnataka is the governing body of the state police.
The police department of Karnataka plays a crucial role in controlling crimes and maintaining law and order in the state.
Objectives of the Police Department
The main objectives of the state police department are:
- To safeguard the lives and rights of the people from anti-social individuals or groups
- To ensure peace and improve the quality of life in the society
- To synchronize with other units of the criminal justice system
- To treat everyone uniformly, regardless of caste, creed, religion, political inclinations or economic power
- To uphold human rights under all circumstances
- To improve professional knowledge and skills and adopt up-to-date approaches in police department
- To act with integrity, efficiency and impartiality at all times
Karnataka State Police
Organisation of Karnataka State Police Department
The Director General and Inspector General of Police are the highest authorities within the state police department. At the next level are the Additional Directors General of Police. Each Director General of Police is responsible for a specific function such as:
- Crime and technical services
- Recruitment and training
- Law and order
- Administration
- The Karnataka State Reserve Police
- Civil-rights enforcement or intelligence
Inspectors General of Police is positioned below the Additional Directors General of Police. The Inspectors General of Police are in charge of ranges. Every range includes three to six districts. Every district has a Superintendent of Police at the top.
The police stations are the lowest or basic functional units in a police department. Each police station in a city or town is headed by an inspector. Every police station also has sub-inspectors, assistant sub-inspectors, head constables and constables. The constables are positioned at the lowest rank within the police department.
Police stations in the rural areas are headed by a sub-inspector or two sub-inspectors who are responsible for maintaining the law and order and preventing crime in the area. These police stations are grouped under circles that comprise a sub-division. The circles are headed by police Inspectors. Each sub-division is headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Hierarchy of Karnataka State Police Department
- Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police
- Additional Director General of Police
- Inspector General of Police
- Superintendent of Police
- Deputy Superintendent of Police
- Circle Inspector of Police
- Sub-inspector of Police
- Assistant Sub-inspector of Police
- Head Constable
- Constable
Police Administration in Karnataka
The Karnataka State Police Department comprises of four police commissioners. There are 6 ranges of the state police department. Karnataka has 906 police stations, 230 circle offices, 91 SDPOs and 31 DPOs (which includes railway police too). At times, the state police force is supplemented by Home Guards.
Commissions under Karnataka State Police
The four commissions of the Karnataka State Police Department are:
- Bangalore Commission: The commissioner of Bangalore holds the rank of Additional Director General of Police
- Hubli-Dharwar Commission: The Hubli-Dharwar commissioner has the rank of Inspector General of Police
- Mysore Commission: The commissioner of Mysore also has the rank of Inspector General of Police
- Mangalore Commission: The Mangalore commissioner belongs to the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police
Karnataka Police Ranges and districts
Karnataka has 6 police ranges that manage the districts of the state. The following are the Police Ranges and the districts managed by each range:
| Range | Districts |
|---|---|
| Eastern Range, Davangere | • Chitradurga • Bellary • Shimoga • Davangere |
| Western Range, Mangalore | • Dakshina Kannada • Uttara Kannada • Chickmaglur • Haveri • Udupi |
| Central Range, Bangalore | • Tumkur • Kolar • Bangalore • Kolar Gold Fields • Chikkaballapura • Ramanagara |
| North Eastern Range, Gulbarga | • Gulbarga • Bidar • Raichur • Koppal • Yadgiri |
| Northern Range, Belgaum | • Belgaum • Bijapur • Dharwad • Bagalkot • Gadag |
| Southern Range, Mysore | • Mysore • Kodagu • Mandya • Hassan • Chamarajanagara |
Functional Wings of the Karnataka State Police Department
The Karnataka State Police Department has several functional wings to assist in its work. These wings are:
- Law and Order Wing: This wing of Karnataka Police is headed by an Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order.
- State Intelligence Wing: This wing is headed by an Additional Director General of Police. He is assisted by two Inspectors General of Police and four Superintendents of Police based at headquarters. Karnataka Police Force has five Superintendents of Police in the Intelligence Divisions based at Bangalore, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Mangalore and Mysore.
- Crime and Technical Services Wing: The Crime and Technical wing is headed by an Additional Director General of Police, Crime and Technical Services. The State Crime Record Bureau, Fingerprint Bureau, Police Computer Wing and Forensic Scientific Laboratory are managed by this wing.
Special Units of Karnataka State Police Department
There are a few police units that perform specialised functions in the state. They are:
- Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Economic Offenses and Special Units
- Directorate of Civil-Rights Enforcement
- Communication, Logistic and Modernisation Wing
- Planning and Modernisation Wing
- Police Housing and Welfare Wing
Karnataka State Reserve Police Force
The Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) is headed by an Additional Director General of Police. The state reserve police force comprises of 10 battalions. There are 4 battalions reserved for the capital city of Bangalore. One battalion each is reserved for the cities of Belgaum, Shimoga, Mysore, Gulbarga, Shiggoan and Mangalore.
The reserve police force of Karnataka consists of the following divisions:
- District Armed Force (DAR) for every district
- City Armed Reserve (CAR) for Bangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Mangalore and Mysore
- The Karnataka Armed Reserve Mounted Police that has headquarters in Mysore
- Coastal Security Police (CSP) having jurisdiction over Karnataka’s coastal waters
- Government Railway Police (GRP)
Forest Cell of Karnataka State Police
The Forest Cell of the state police helps the Karnataka Forest Department to carry out their functions smoothly.
Training Wing of Karnataka State Police
There are 10 training institutions under the state police. These are:
- Karnataka Police Academy at Mysore
- Karnataka State Police Training Centre at Gulbarga
- Karnataka State Police Training School at Channapatna
- Special Branch Training Institute at Bangalore
- Police Dr at Bangalore
- Wireless Training Institute at Bangalore
- Traffic Training Institute at Bangalore
