IPS officers may have to specialise in at least one domain to get promotion

Indian Police Service (IPS) officers may soon have to specialise in at least one policing domain like counter-insurgency, terror funding or cyber crime to get promotion to the senior ranks.

According to a proposal prepared by the Home Ministry, each of the IPS officer will have to specialise in different policing domains like anti-terrorism, terror funding, economic crimes or cyber offences before being promoted to senior ranks.

"As per the proposal, IPS officers will have to speacilise on a particular domain and undergo mandatory training before being promoted to the ranks of deputy inspector general (DIG), inspector general (IG) or additional director general (ADG)," a home ministry official said.

The domain subjects or the area of specialisation, will be listed in the performance appraisal report, the official said. Among the subjects in which the IPS officers can speacilise include anti-corruption and vigilance, police research and development, criminal investigation (CBI, CID), intelligence, cyber crime, counter-insurgency and anti- terrorism.

Before being promoted as a DIG, an officer will have to undergo training in at least one of the domains. Similarly for the promotion to ranks of the IG and ADG, mandatory training will have to be completed in two or three subjects.

The National Police Academy in Hyderabad and other similar institutes will be asked to prepare training modules.

The plan was discussed in November last during an annual conference of top police officers of the country in Hyderabad which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh.

The proposal has been prepared as part of the follow-up of the discussion that took place in that meeting.

Future postings of senior police officers may be decided as per specialisation, the official said.