---
title: "Indian Police Service (IPS): Cadre & Role | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Indian Police Service (IPS) is an All India Service under Article 312, crucial for staffing senior police roles across India and recruited via UPSC."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/indian-police-service"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Indian Police Service is one of the three All India Services, constituted under Article 312, whose officers staff senior police and security posts across the Union and the states.
- How does an officer enter the IPS, and how does it differ from joining the IAS?
- Who controls IPS officers — the Union or the states?
- What did the Prakash Singh judgment require for IPS appointments?
- Which central agencies are headed or staffed by IPS officers?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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In 2019, the Supreme Court directed states to follow its Prakash Singh guidelines in selecting Directors General of Police from UPSC-prepared panels, reinforcing fixed tenures for senior IPS officers.

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