Commissioners of Police (also known as Police Commissioners) in India are IPS officers who get higher executive powers than those available to a Superintendent of Police (SP) or Senior SP (SSP) as in charge of a district police. 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 Central government). The jurisdiction held by CP is known as "Police Commissionerate" and can combine several adjoining districts under it.
Traditionally at the district level, the Superintendent of Police (SP) or Senior SP (SSP) has to maintain law and order by working with the District Magistrate (DM). Whereas, under CP system the magesterial powers of DM are given to the CP as well as to sanctioned police officers under him/her, like Special/Joint/Additional/Deputy/Assistant CP. For large metropolitan cities, the CP system is generally considered more suitable policing system.[1]
The British India government had brought the CP system first in Kolkata and Chennai in 1856, and followed it in Mumbai in 1864.[2][3][4]
Among the 10 most populous states of India, two states - Bihar (3rd most populous) and M.P. (5th most populous) do not have CP system in any of their cities.
↑The Delhi Police Commissioner, a Director General (DG) rank officer, is the head of Delhi Police. This is the only case in India where a CP heads the police force of the whole state/UT.
↑The posts of Commissioner of Police (CP) of Mumbai and of DGP (chief) of Maharashtra are held by two different officers, both of whom are of Director General (DG) rank. The Mumbai CP is one of the few CPs in the country who does not report to the state DGP. Both Mumbai CP and Maharashtra DGP report to ACS (Additional Chief Secretary) of Home Department of Maharashtra, who is a senior IAS officer.[28][29]
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