Update on 2024-04-15

How to Become DGP - Check Steps to Become a DGP

How to Become DGP

A DGP is a police officer who is responsible for heading the police forces in a state or union territory. Therefore a Director-General of Police is also known as State Police Chief. The full form of DGP is the “Director-General of Police” in India. The rank of the DGP is one of the highest ranks in the Indian police department. Apart from rank superiority, the position is one of the most respectable and honorable positions in the police profession.

A DGP holds 3-stars on his/her shoulders as it is a 3-star rank in the Indian Police Service. Only an IPS officer is eligible to become a Director-General of Police after getting appointed by the Cabinet for this post which means you have to become an IPS officer first in order to get promoted as a DGP. Read this article to know all the details on How to become DGP.

Steps to Become a DGP

The candidate has first to become an IPS officer first to get promoted as a Director General of Police, You will have to serve for years as an IPS officer, and then only you may get promoted as a DGP. So here we are mentioning the initial steps to - How to become DGP:

Step 1 : Apply for the Civil Services Exam by visiting the official website of the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exam. Candidates can get online notifications about the exam application or through popular newspapers. Usually, the notifications are released in the month of December every year. The UPSC exam is divided into three parts:

Preliminary Exam
Mains
Interview round.

Step 2 : Appear for the Preliminary Exam of Civil Services of Exam - The preliminary exam for the Indian Police Service is conducted between the months of May and June and the results of the exam are released between the months of July and August. The exam consists of 400 marks and it is divided into two papers - Paper-I and Paper-II.
Step 3 : After qualifying for the Preliminary exam, appear in CSE Mains Exam.
Step 4 : After qualifying for the Mains exam, Appear in The Interview Round - You will be called for a Personal Interview round if you succeed in qualifying for the Mains exam. Your Interview will be conducted by the authorities of the UPSC. During the Final Interview round, you will be judged and marked on the basis of your subject knowledge and mental ability.
Step 5 : Try to secure a good rank as The top rank holders will be admitted as IPS Probationary Officers in Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Police Academy where they get their training to become Police Officer.
Step 6 : After the completion of the training, you will be posted to the Police and Investigative Organizations.

Roles & Responsibilities of DGP

DGP’s duty is towards the state and it is his/her responsibility to cater to these duties now you understood - How to become DGP but In case you are wondering “what does a DGP do ? and what are the roles and responsibilities of a DGP”, then here are the answers :

A DGP is responsible for maintaining discipline, training, and efficiently functioning of the state's police force
He/She serves as an advisor to the State Government related to the matters of state and Police Force Administration.
He/She is responsible for maintaining law and order in the state.
He/she has the authority to discharge the police officers of their duties.
Directing Operations during any communal riots, disputes or strikes is also one of the major roles of the DGP.
He/She is liable to report directly to the Chief Minister of the state.
A DGP also has the power to deploy police forces during a time of need, when it is a matter of security.

Eligibility Criteria to Become DGP

These are the eligibility criteria required to be fulfilled by an aspirant in order to become a DGP :

The minimum Educational Qualification required for becoming a DGP is a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline.
The aspirant must have cleared the UPSC Exams and been appointed as an IPS Officer, by the way, you can also check out - How to Become IPS Officer
The aspirant should be an Indian Citizen.
The aspirant must be at least 21 years old. The upper age limit varies with respect to the category and physical disability. There is an age relaxation of 5 years for the people belonging to the SC/ST category.
The officers who are already appointed in IAS (Indian Administrative Service) or IFS are not eligible for the post of DGP.

Note:

A general category candidate is allowed to attempt 6 times for the post of DGP. Usually, it takes more than 30 years of service to get promoted to the post of DGP. The position of a DGP cannot be attained directly. You have to put years of hard work and dedication into your service, in order to get such an honorable position in the police department.

Educational Qualification Required To Become DGP

A candidate having any of these Educational Qualifications is eligible to become a DGP :

(i) A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a state, central, or a deemed university

(ii) A Bachelor's or Master’s degree from an open university

(iii) A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a distance or correspondence education

(iv) A Master’s or a Bachelor’s degree from any of the private university

(v) A candidate who has cleared their final examination of MBBS degree but has not completed his/her internship yet

(vi) Candidates that have cleared their final examination of ICWAI, ICSI, and ICAI

(vii) A degree from a foreign university that is recognized by the Indian university association.

Subjects Included in UPSC

Subjects Included in UPSC Paper I

General Science
History of India & National Movements
General Issues of Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change
Indian Politics and Governance
Economic & Social Development
Current Affairs of National and International significance

Subjects Included in UPSC Paper-II

Communication Skills and Interpersonal English
Language Comprehension Skills in the chosen language
Decision-making skills and Problem-solving ability
General Mental Ability
Basic Numeracy

Salary Of a DGP (Director-General of Police)

The position of the DGP is the highest one in the police force. Being the highest rank in the police department, the basic salary of a DGP starts from Rs 56,100. After the implementation of the 7th pay commission, the Director-General of Police (DGP) of a state gets Rs 2,25,000 monthly salary.

Indian Police Service (IPS) Ranks in Indian Police Force	IPS Salary – 7th Pay Commission Pay Scale
Director-General of Police (DGP) / Director of IB or CBI	Rs 2,25,000.00
Director-General of Police (DGP)	Rs 2,05,400.00
Inspector-General of Police	Rs 1,44,200.00
Deputy Inspector General of Police	Rs 1,31,100.00
Senior Superintendent of Police	Rs 78,800.00
Additional Superintendent of Police	Rs 67,700.00
Deputy Superintendent of Police	Rs 56,100

Perks of Being a DGP

A DGP enjoys many benefits, we have mentioned some of them below

Private Accommodation and Housing Facilities
A Domestic Helper and Security guards
An Official Vehicle with a Personal Driver
Other basic facilities include free electricity, free telephone, free medical facilities, and treatment.
Other perks enjoyed by a DGP are lifetime pension, provident fund, leaves, study leaves for a maximum of 2 years at a stretch with the expenses born by the government
Job Security etc.

Conclusion:

The candidates who aspire to become IPS officers and serve the nation with their utmost heart may have the ambition to become the Director-General of Police someday. It is a powerful position but as we know great power comes with greater responsibilities and rewarding benefits.

If you are an IPS aspirant who wants to do something for the welfare of society by serving as a Civil Servant then becoming a DGP is one of the greatest milestones you can achieve in your career. I hope you understood this informative article - "How to become DGP"