We are always surrounded and protected by the police force, whether it is a common, everyday quarrel or a big case, our first instinct is to always reach out to the police administration. Any complaint that we might have, we go to the police station. In the station, the police officer is addressed by their designated short form, such as SHO, CO, SI, etc. However, there are a lot of people who do not know the meaning of these designations and are confused about who has more authority.
The most common question is who has more authority between Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)?
Today, let us tell you about the Indian Police Ranking System.
Who has more authority - DIG or DSP?
For the unversed, the biggest post in the police administration is that of the Director-General of Police (DGP). A DGP is the head of the police of the whole state. Meanwhile, the Deputy Inspector General of Police i.e. DIG is the second number officer in the police of a zone.
The ranking among the police force is as follows:
DGP- Director General of Police (Head of State Police. In some places also called CP i.e. Commissioner of Police)
ADGP- Additional Director General of Police
IG- Inspector General of Police (Zone Head)
DIG- Deputy Inspector General of Police
SSP- Senior Superintendent of Police (District Chief - but this post is especially in big cities)
SP - Superintendent of Police (Head of district, rural area and small towns have this post)
ASP - Assistant Superintendent of Police
DSP - Deputy Superintendent of Police
SHO - Station Officer (Station Incharge, especially In cities. In rural areas, there is also the post of CO i.e. Circle Officer. Which is equivalent to it. But they cover 3-4 police stations. Both officers have the same ranking. Both are police inspectors)
SI = Sub Inspector
ASI = Assistant Sub Inspector
Constable
How can you identify which police officer has more authority based on the stars in their car?
Many vehicles have number plates with stars at the top. If there are stars on the blue plate, then understand that it is a police car. If there are three stars on the vehicle, then that vehicle will belong to the DGP. If there are two stars in the car, then an officer of IG rank is sitting in that vehicle. At the same time, if only one star is installed, then a DIG rank officer could be sitting in it.
