# Karnataka Police

The Karnataka State Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Karnataka. It was established in 1965 and is headquartered in Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka. The KSP is a state police force that works under the purview of the Department of Home Affairs, Government of Karnataka. The department is headed by the Director General and Inspector General of Police.

## Organization

The Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP) is the head of the State police department, and under him are the Director General of Police and Additional Director General of Police. Each Additional Director General of Police is in charge of a particular function: law and order, crime and technical services, administration, intelligence, the Karnataka State Reserve Police, recruitment and training.
The District Police administration is headed by a Superintendent of Police. A group of districts comprise a Police Range, led by an Inspector General of Police (IGP). Big cities have a Police Commissionerate led by the Commissioner of Police. Bengaluru is headed by an officer with the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADG). Mysuru is headed by an officer with the rank of Inspector General of Police. Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Kalaburagi and Mangaluru are headed by an officer with the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG).
There are 7 police ranges and 32 police districts in the state.
Ranges and districts :
| Range | Districts |
| Southern Range, Mysuru | Chamarajanagara, Hassana, Kodagu, Mandya and Mysuru |
| Western Range, Mangaluru | Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada |
| Eastern Range, Davangere | Chitradurga, Davanagere, Haveri and Shivamogga |
| Central Range, Bengaluru | Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chikkaballapura, Kolar, Ramanagara and Tumakuru |
| Northern Range, Belagavi | Bagalkote, Belagavi, Dharwada, Gadaga and Vijayapura |
| North Eastern Range, Kalaburagi | BIdar, Kalaburgi and Yadagiri |
| Ballari Range, Ballari | Ballari, Koppala, Raichuru and Vijayanagara |
The police stations are the lowest units of the police department. There are 906 police stations, 230 circle offices, 91 SDPOs and 31 DPOs (including railway police) in Karnataka state. Police stations are headed by Inspector in towns and cities. There may be two to four Sub-Inspectors (S.I.) in addition to assistant sub-inspectors (A.S.I), Head Constables (H.C.) and police constables (P.C.). Rural police stations are headed by a sub-inspector or two sub-inspectors covering law and order and crime, depending on the station's importance and sensitivity. They are grouped into circles, comprising a sub-division. Sub-divisions are headed by Deputy Superintendents of Police and circles by Police Inspectors. Additional superintendent of police's (ASP's) are also there in some districts.
Officers
* Director General & Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP)
* Additional Director General of Police (ADGP)
* 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 SP (IPS) or Deputy SP (KSPS)
Sub-ordinates
* Police Inspector/Circle Police Inspector (PI/CPI)
* Police Sub-Inspector (PSI)
* Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI)
* Head Constable (HC)
* Constable (PC)

## Insignia of Karnataka Police (State Police)
### Gazetted Officers

Indian Police Service gazetted officers rank insignia :
| Insignia | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rank | Director general of police | Director general of police | Additional director general of police | Additional director general of police | Inspector general of police | Inspector general of police | Deputy inspector general of police | Deputy inspector general of police | Senior superintendent of police | Senior superintendent of police | Senior superintendent of police | Superintendent of police | Superintendent of police | Additional superintendent of police | Additional superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for two years) | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for two years) | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for two years) | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for two years) | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for one year) | Assistant superintendent of police (probationary for one year) |
| Abbreviation | DGP | DGP | ADGP | ADGP | IGP | IGP | DIG | DIG | SSP | SSP | SSP | SP | SP | Addl.SP | Addl.SP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP | ASP |
| Note 1: The equivalent rank to the ASP in State Police Services is the deputy superintendent of police (DSP/DySP). Note 2: The commissioner of police is a post typically held by DIG and above rank officers. ||||||||||||||||||

### Non-gazetted officers

Indian Police non-gazetted officers rank insignia :
| Insignia | | | | | | | | | | | | | No insignia | No insignia |
| Rank | Inspector | Inspector | Assistant inspector | Assistant inspector | Sub-inspector | Sub-inspector | Assistant sub-inspector | Assistant sub-inspector | Head constable | Head constable | Senior Constable | Senior Constable | Police constable | Police constable |
| Abbreviation | INSP/PI | INSP/PI | API | API | SI | SI | ASI | ASI | HC | HC | SC | SC | PC | PC |
| Colour pattern and size of chevrons may vary according to the different rules of several distinct Indian State Police services. |||||||||||||||

## Law and Order

This wing is headed by an officer with the rank of Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order.

## State Intelligence Department

The Intelligence Department is headed by an Additional Director General of Police, assisted by two Deputy Inspector General of Police and five Superintendents of Police at headquarters. The five Superintendents of Police in the Intelligence Divisions are in Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Belagavi, Davanagere and Ballery.

## Crime and Technical Services Wing

This wing is headed by the Additional Director General of Police, Crime and Technical Services. It includes the Fingerprint Bureau, Forensic Scientific Laboratory, Police Computer Wing and State Crime Record Bureau.

## Reserve police

In the state, the police trace their origins to the former Mysore State Imperial Service. They consist of:
* A District Armed Reserve (DAR) for each district
* A City Armed Reserve (CAR) in Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Belagavi and Hubli-Dharwad
* A Special Task Force (STF)
* The Karnataka Armed Reserve Mounted Police, headquartered in Mysore
* Coastal Security Police (CSP)
* Government Railway Police (GRP)
The Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) is headed by an Additional Director General of Police, assisted by an Inspector General and one Deputy Inspectors General of Police at headquarters. The Karnataka State Reserve Police consists of 12 battalions: four in Bengaluru and one each in Mysuru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Shiggaon, Hassana and Tumakuru 2 IRB battalions are situated in Munirabad (Koppala) and Vijayapura. Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) is a specially formed reserved force. They are well trained striking force.

## Mounted police

In 1951 the horses in the maharaja's bodyguard were used for the Karnataka Armed Reserve Mounted Police, headquartered in Mysuru. The stables, fields and office buildings date to the maharajas' time. Mounted police are used for traffic duty, night patrol, officer training and the Mysuru Dasara. The force is made up of 90 horses and 150 officers and men.
Mounted-police riders still practice tent pegging, and are also known for games, ceremonial parades and showmanship. Its riders have won a number of prizes in national and international equestrian competitions. The mounted police is headed by S. G. Mariba Shetti, who has won gold medals at the 1995 World Police Games in Australia (1995) and in 2001 in Indianapolis (2001) and has commanded the Dasara procession since 1977.
In January 2024 The Hindu reported that mounted police patrols were being reintroduced around Cubbon Park and the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the state legislature in Bengarluru.

## Coastal Security Police

The Coastal Security Police (CSP) was established in 1999, and is headed by the Superintendent of Police. It has jurisdiction over Karnataka's coastal waters along the Arabian sea from Talapady in Dakshina Kannada to Majali in Uttara Kannada; a coastline of about 320 kilometres (200 mi). Its range extends 12 nautical miles out to sea and 500 metres inland. The CSP comes under the Internal Security Division headed by Additional director general of police in Richmond Road, Bengaluru. As of January 2021, nine coastal police stations have been established and 13 "interceptor boats" are in operation.

## Forest Cell

The Forest Cell assists the Karnataka Forest Department with their operations.

## Policing Excess & Errors

Karnataka High Court ordered a departmental inquiry against policemen for filing false chargesheet under NDPS Act affecting careers and future of students. In another instance, Kerala Police arrested Karnataka police officers who took money from crypto traders.

## Training

This wing is headed by the Director General of Police, Training, assisted by an Inspector General of Police (Training) and Deputy Inspector General of Police (Training). Karnataka has so many training institutions:
* Karnataka Police Academy, Mysuru
* Police Training College, Naganahalli, Kalaburagi
* Karnataka State Police Training School, Channapattana
* Karnataka Police Training school, Khanapura, Belagavi
* Armed Police Training School, Yalahanka, Bengaluru
* Police Training School, Aimangala, Chitradurga
* Police training School, Thanisandra, Bengaluru
* Police Training School, Kaduru, Chilkkamagaluru
* Police Training School, Dharawada
* Police Training School, Jyothi Nagara, Mysuru
* Temporary Police Training School, Navangar, Bagalkot
* Police Training School, Munirabad, Koppala
* Police Training School, Kangralli, Belagavi
* Police Training School, Vijayapura
* CCT Training Center, Kudlu, Bengaluru
* CCT Training Center, Agara, Bengaluru
* ANF Training Center, Karkala, Udupi
* Traffic Training Institute,RK Hegade Nagara, Bengaluru
* Special Branch Training Institute, Bengaluru
* Wireless Training Institute, Bengaluru
* Police Driving And Maintenance School, Yelahanka, Bengaluru

## Special units

State-level units perform specialized police functions and assist civil-police units:
* Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Economic Offenses and Special Units: Headed by a Director General of Police, the unit oversees the Corps of Detectives, the Forest Cell, the Economic Offenses Unit and the Cyber Police Station.
* Directorate of Civil-Rights Enforcement: Headed by an Additional Director General of Police, Civil Rights Enforcement, and assisted by an Inspector General of Police, a Deputy Inspector General of Police and a Superintendent of Police at headquarters. the wing has six field units (each headed by a Superintendent of Police) at the police ranges in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Davanagere, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Mysuru. The directorate monitors and investigates cases registered under the Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955 and the Prevention of Atrocities Act, and is the watchdog of rights and benefits extended to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
* Communication, Logistic and Modernization Wing: Headed by an Additional Director General of Police, the wing consists of a Police Wireless Unit and a Motor Transport Organisation (both headed by a Superintendent of Police).
* Planning & Modernization: Headed by an Inspector General of police, Planning and Modernization, the wing receives consolidation proposals for the police department and submits them to the government for approval.
* Police Housing & Welfare: Headed by an Inspector General of Police, Grievance Cell and Human Rights
* Internal Security Division: Headed by an Additional Director General of Police, the unit oversees the Terrorism and Naxalist in Karnataka State, Cyber cell, Forensic cell, and Bomb Detection Squad specially designed force called "Garuda Force" and ANF (Anti Naxal Force) units in it.