DGP Full Form
Director General of Police
What does DGP stand for? A government term, explained.
DGP Full Form in English, letter by letter
DGP is the Director General of Police, the senior-most police officer who heads the police force of an Indian state or Union Territory.
DGP Full Form in Indian Languages
Every state has one DGP at the top of its police hierarchy. Here is what Director General of Police means, in six Indian languages, and how the post is filled.
Where the DGP sits in the police ladder
A state police career starts with the constable and runs through head constable, sub-inspector and inspector. The Indian Police Service then takes over at the top: Superintendent of Police, Senior Superintendent, Deputy Inspector General, Inspector General, Additional Director General and finally Director General of Police. In each state one officer is the head of the whole force.
The same rank is used for central organisations. The BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, CBI and Railway Protection Force are each headed by a Director General. So DGP marks the top post of a police organisation, whether it belongs to a state or to the Centre.
How a DGP is chosen: the Prakash Singh directions
The rules come from Prakash Singh versus Union of India, decided by the Supreme Court on 22 September 2006. The court said the state should pick its DGP from the three senior-most officers empanelled by the UPSC, and that the person chosen should serve at least two years, whatever their date of retirement.
Later orders told states to send names to the UPSC well before the vacancy arises, and the court has criticised the habit of keeping an acting DGP in the chair. Even so, several states have been taken to court over delayed panels, hurried extensions and last-minute transfers, so the rule is better described as contested than settled.
What a DGP does in a working week
The DGP is the administrative head of the force. The post shapes postings and transfers of senior officers (with the state's Police Establishment Board), the police budget, training, modernisation and the overall law and order plan. Day-to-day policing stays with district Superintendents and station house officers, but the DGP sets the framework they work in.
The DGP also briefs the state government during riots, large protests, elections and festival seasons, and coordinates with central agencies such as the NIA and the Intelligence Bureau. Many DGPs also oversee the police training academies where new IPS probationers and state cadre officers are trained.
DGP, ADGP, IGP and DIG: telling the ranks apart
A state usually has one DGP who heads the force, several Additional DGPs who head functions such as law and order, crime, intelligence or armed police, and Inspector General rank officers who look after zones. Below them a DIG supervises a range of districts, and Superintendents run individual districts.
Big cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru have a Commissioner of Police instead of a district Superintendent. The Commissioner of a major city may hold ADGP or even DGP rank in some states, which is why the same rank shows up in very different jobs. Most DGPs are IPS officers belonging to that state's cadre.
Who the DGP answers to
Police is a state subject under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. The DGP therefore reports through the state Home department to the Home Minister and the Chief Minister, not to the Centre. The Prakash Singh directions also asked states to set up a State Security Commission and Police Complaints Authorities, so that the force has some distance from day-to-day political pressure.
Besides the head of the force, there are functional posts at the same rank, such as DGP (Prisons), DGP (CID), DGP (Fire Services) or DGP (Training). Always check the bracket after the designation. The officer called simply State DGP is usually the Head of Police Force, while the others lead one vertical only.
When a citizen writes to the DGP, and what happens next
A common worked example: a complaint is refused at the police station. The usual route is first the Station House Officer, then the Superintendent of Police, then the range DIG or IG. Writing to the DGP's office is the last step inside the department, and the letter is normally forwarded down to the district for a report.
Keep the representation short, attach the complaint receipt or the date you approached the station, and name the officers you already met. If an FIR is not being registered, a petition to the magistrate and the state Police Complaints Authority are also open to you, so the DGP is not the only door.
The Director General of Police is the officer who sets how a state's police force is run, and the Supreme Court has spent years insisting that the appointment follow a clear process. When a DGP is named or replaced, check three things: whether the UPSC panel was followed, whether the officer is acting or regular, and which state or central force the post belongs to.
DGP Full Form: Common Questions
What is the full form of DGP?
The full form of DGP is Director General of Police. The post is the head of a state or Union Territory police force, and the same rank also heads some central police organisations.
How is a DGP appointed in India?
The state sends a list of eligible senior IPS officers to the UPSC, which empanels up to three. The state government then appoints one of them. This follows the Supreme Court's directions in the Prakash Singh case of 2006.
What is the tenure of a DGP?
The Prakash Singh judgment set a minimum of two years in office, irrespective of the officer's date of retirement. Earlier removal is meant to happen only on recorded grounds such as a court conviction, corruption or inability to perform.
Is DGP higher than IGP?
Yes. The order in a state runs Superintendent of Police, DIG, Inspector General, Additional DGP and then DGP. An Inspector General supervises a zone, while the DGP heads the whole state force.
What is the difference between DGP and Commissioner of Police?
A Commissioner of Police heads the police of a city that has the Commissionerate system. The DGP heads the entire state force. In a few states a city Commissioner holds DGP or ADGP rank, but the post still covers only that city.
Can an IAS officer become DGP?
No. The DGP is chosen from Indian Police Service officers, normally from the cadre of that state, so an IAS officer cannot hold the post.