Jammu and Kashmir Police

The Jammu and Kashmir Police is the police force of Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. JKP was established in 1873 and has primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within Jammu and Kashmir. History The first specific Jammu & Kashmir police force came into existence in the year 1873 with one police officer known as Kotwal and 14 Thanedars for Srinagar City. This police force would control crime and take care of law and order situations with help of Chowkidars and Harkars, who were paid mandatorily by the residents of Imperial Kashmir Union. It was in 1913 that the state requisitioned the service of an Imperial Police (IP) officer on deputation and appointed Mr Broadway as the first Inspector General of Police in June, 1913. He continued to be Police chief up to 1917 and was followed by other IP officers. Since then the Police in J&K has undergone several re-organizations, The employee strength of Police in J&K in the year 1889-90 was 1040, which further rose to 1570 in the year 1903 and forty years later, in 1943–44, the strength of J&K Police was 3179 and at present it has exceeded 83000 mark. Organizational structure Jammu and Kashmir Police is administratively managed by the UT’s Home Department under the supervision of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. Operational leadership is provided by the Director General of Police appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). MHA also determines the budget of the J&K police. The current Director General of Police in Jammu and Kashmir is Nalin Prabhat who took over as the 18th DGP of Jammu & Kashmir on 1 October 2024 from Rashmi Ranjan Swain who served as DGP of the state from November 2023 to September 2024. Rashmi Ranjan Swain is a 1991-batch Indian Police Service officer of the AGMUT cadre. During his tenure, the Jammu and Kashmir Police launched the online grievance redressal portal Awaam Se, Awaam Ke Liye on 1 January 2024. Special agencies Intelligence Unit (Crime Branch) Special Operations Group Hierarchy Officers Director General of Police (DGP) Additional Director General of Police (Addl.DGP) Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Superintendent of Police (SP) Additional Superintendent of Police(Addl.SP) Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Sub-ordinates Inspector Sub-Inspector (SI) Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Head Constable (HC) Selection Grade Constable Constable Follower Special Police Official (SPO) Insignia Gallantry Awards In the wake of the insurgency, the J&K police participate in many operations against terrorists in joint coordination with the armed forces. In those operations many policemen laid down their lives. Some of them got Peace time gallantry awards. Assistant Sub Inspector Babu Ram, DySP Himayun Muzammil Bhat, Constable Altaf Hussain Bhat and Special Police Officer Shahbaz Ahmad have been posthumously awarded Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, respectively. These are the three highest peacetime gallantry awards, given for showing exemplary courage in service of the nation Notable achievements On the occasion of 75 years of India's independence, Jammu Kashmir Police received 108 gallantry medals, which was highest among all Indian states. J&K Police cornered 62% of awards for In 2021 Jammu Kashmir Police became the first to win all three highest gallantry awards in India, viz Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra. Controversies Jammu Kashmir Police has been accused of wrongly discharging criminals and failure to track its own police personnel in the past. Gallery See also Law enforcement in India Ladakh Police Notes References