Tamil Nadu Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is headquartered in Chennai. It functions under the Home Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is headed by Director General of Police, who is assisted by other police officers.
The Tamil Nadu Police consists of three functional units–Law & Order, crime, and traffic. There are several other special units, which carry out dedicated function. For administrative purposes, it is organised into four zones, which are further sub-divided into 11 ranges, and encompasses 39 districts (excluding Chennai and includes two railway police districts). The major cities have Police Commissionerates, which there are nine including the Greater Chennai Police.
The precursor to the modern Tamil Nadu Police began during the British Raj, when the Madras Police was established in 1859. After Indian Independence in 1947, it came under the Madras Province, and was renamed Tamil Nadu Police in 1969.
, there are 1,302 Law and Order Police Stations, 202 All Women Police Stations, 243 Traffic Police Stations, 47 Railway Police Stations, 27 Police Out Posts, and 30 Traffic Investigation Wings. In 2021, there were 118,881 personnel in the Tamil Nadu Police against a sanctioned strength of 133,198 personnel.
History In 1770, Josias Du Pré, the Governor of Madras constituted a police board for maintenance of public law and order in Madras, and the post of Superintendent of Police was created in 1780. In 1859, the Madras Police, was officially established as per the Madras District Police Act (Act No. XXIV). In 1865, the police headquarters was established in its present location in Madras. In 1905, a police training school was established, and a dedicated criminal investigation department (CID) was formed the next year. In 1919, the organisation was revamped, and the position of Inspector General of Police was established to head the police department, while the Madras City Police was led by a Commissioner of Police. In 1923, the armed force division was established, and the special branch of the CID was formed in 1928. In 1929, the department was reorganised into three functional divisions of crime, law and order and traffic in the city of Madras.
After Indian Independence in August 1947, the Madras Police came under the administrative control of the Madras Province. In 1951, a canine unit was established as a part of the department. In 1957, the headquarters of the Madras Special Police was moved to Tiruchirappalli. A forensic sciences laboratory was established in 1961. In 1963, a police hospital was established in Madras, and a home guards unit was formed to assist the police. The organisation was renamed as Tamil Nadu Police, after renaming of the state in 1969. Women were induced into the police force for the first time in 1973. In 1976, the Tamil Nadu Police became the first police force in the country to introduce computers. Later in the year, a special cell (Q branch) of the CID was established to probe important cases. In 1991, the Uniformed Service Recruitment Board was constituted for the recruitment of non-gazzetted police officers. In 1992, the first all women police station was established in the state. In 1994, a special human rights wing was formed as a part of the Tamil Nadu Police.
Dedicated highway patrol were introduced in 2003. In 2004, a women police battalion was formed, the first such unit in India. Later in the year, an integrated control room was established at Chennai. In 2005, the organisation was revamped, with changes to jurisdiction, and a centralised State Crime Records Bureau was established. The Tamil Nadu Police Academy was opened in 2009 at Chennai. In 2010, a dedicated Organised Crime Intelligence Unit was established. The boundaries were reorganised further in 2011, and the Greater Chennai Police was established as the dedicated law and order agency in the Chennai metropolitan region. In 2015, a special crime squad was established in 20 districts to investigate notorious crimes. In 2022, the department set up a dedicated Cyber Crime Investigation Centre at Chennai.
Headquarters
The Tamil Nadu Police is headquartered at the Police headquarters building in Chennai. It is located on Kamarajar Salai along the promenade of the Marina Beach, and spread over an area of .
It was built in 1839 originally as a Free Masons lodge, and was taken on lease by the Police in 1865. In 1874, the building was bought by the government and expanded. The building is classified as a heritage structure. A new annexure building, consisting of three blocks, spread over a built-up area of , was added in 2012 at a cost of .
Organization The Tamil Nadu Police functions under the purview of the Home Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is headed by a Director General of Police (DGP), who is designated as the Head of Police Force (HoPF). The DGP may be assisted by special and additional DGPs. The various functional wings of the police department are headed by an Additional Director General of Police. For administrative purposes, the state has been divided into four police zones–North, South, West and Central, each headed by an Inspector General of Police (IG). The zones are further divided into 11 ranges, headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), who oversee a jurisdiction of one or more districts and report to the IGs of the respective zones. There are 39 districts (excluding Chennai district and including two Railway Police districts), each headed by a Superintendent of Police (SP). District Superintendents of Police are assisted by Additional Superintendents of Police (ADSP). These districts are further organised into 249 sub-divisions, each headed by an Assistant Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) or Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), and consists of several police stations under its jurisdiction.
The major metropolitan cities are headed by a Commissioner of Police (CP). There are nine commissionerates, with the Greater Chennai Police headed by a commissioner with a rank equivalent to ADGP, while the other police commisionerates are headed by a Commissioner equivalent to the rank of IG. The Commissioners are assisted by Additional and Joint Commissioners, while Deputy Commissioners (equivalent to SP rank), and Assistant Commissioners (equivalent DSP rank) form the second level administrative structure.
+ Zonal organisation Zone Number of districts Districts North Zone 10 Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur, Cuddalore, Villuppuram, Vellore, Ranipet, Thirupattur, Tiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, Chengalpattu West Zone 8 Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Salem, The Nilgiris, Erode, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Namakkal Central Zone 9 Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Karur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai, Mayiladuthurai South Zone 10 Madurai, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai, Theni, Virudhunagar, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli Rural, Kanyakumari, Tenkasi Zone Number of cities Cities Commissionerates 9 Greater Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Salem, Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Avadi, Tambaram
Each police station is typically headed by an Inspector, or in semi-urban and rural areas, by a Sub-Inspector (SI). The head of police station is known as Station House Officer (SHO), who is the officer incharge. A police station generally comprises Sub-Inspectors, special Sub-Inspectors, Head Constables, and Constables, who are responsible for routine policing and investigation. , there are 1,302 Law and Order Police Stations, 202 All Women Police Stations, 243 Traffic Police Stations, 47 Railway Police Stations, 27 Police Out Posts, and 30 Traffic Investigation Wings.
Special units Various special units operate under the Tamil Nadu Police department. These units perform specific functions related to security, intelligence, criminal investigations and support services. Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID): It was established in 1906, and functions under the purview of the DIG. It is organised into Organized Crime Unit, Counterfeit Currency Wing, Special Investigation Division, Cyber Crime Wing, Anti-Trafficking Cell, and Police Research Centre. The Cyber Crime Wing is led by an ADGP, and manages dedicated cyber crime police stations in the state. The Cyber Crime Investigation Centre in Chennai, deals with organised cyber crime, ransomware attacks, cryptocurrency frauds, and suspect social media activities. The Social Media Monitoring Centre was established in 2022 to curb the spread of fake news and misinformation online.
Intelligence: The Intelligence Wing is responsible for the gathering and dissemination of information relating to law and order. It consists of a Special Branch CID (Q Branch), Security Branch, Organized Crime Intelligence Unit, each of which is headed by a SP. The Q Branch is responsible for intelligence gathering on important and covert activities, which might cause disturbance to law and order. The Security Branch is responsible for the security arrangements for visits of VIPs, and providing protection to top government office holders.
Crime Wing: The Crime wing consists of Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, which deals with the prevention and control of banned narcotic substances, and the Intellectual Property Right Enforcement Cell, which is responsible for handling cases with respect to intellectual property rights and preventing video piracy.
Economic Offenses Wing (EOW): The Economic Offenses Wing investigates cases of fraud with companies and financial institutions. It also consists of the Commercial Crime Investigation Wing, established in 1971, which investigates offenses relating to the misappropriation of government funds, and the Idol Wing, established in 1983, which deals with the prevention and recovery of antiques and idols.
State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB): The divisions include the Police Computer Wing, Finger Print Bureau, Modus Operandi Bureau, and Statistical Cell. It is also responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the Crime & Criminal Tracking Network and Systems, an integrated system, which maintains the criminal records. It is also responsible for the implementation of e-services such as online complaint registration, tracking status of cases, downloading First Information Report, and recovery of last documents. It also maintains databases of missing persons, and vehicles. The Modus Operandi Bureau is responsible for dissemination of information collected by the Intelligence Bureau within the police department. The Finger Print Bureau, established in 1895, is responsible for maintaining the finger print records of criminals, and comparison of the same for cases.
Tamil Nadu Special Police Battalion (TSP): The battalion consists of 15 special armed force units spread across the state. It also operates a training centre, and an arms workshop.
Operations Wing: The Operations wing is composed of the Commando Force and Training School, and Bomb Disposal Squads. The Commando Force is used for special operations such as anti-terrorist operations, and in disaster management.
Special Task Force: The Special Task Force is headed by an IG, and are trained for counter insurgency and militancy operations, and aiding in rescue operations.
Coastal Security Group (CSG): The Coastal Security Group is responsible for the security of the -long coastline of the state. It operates various marine police stations, and outposts, and is responsible for maritime security, and security of ports and settlements along the coast. It operates patrols and provides support to the Indian Coast Guard.
Railway Police: The Railway Police is divided into two districts, which are further sub-divided into seven sub-divisions and manages 47 Railway Police Stations and 10 Railway out posts. It is responsible for providing security to the railway stations, trains, and other rail infrastructure.