Tamil Nadu Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of Tamil Nadu, India.[4] The precursor to the modern Tamil Nadu Police began during the British Raj in 1859.
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.[5] In 1859, the Madras Police, was officially established as per the Madras District Police Act (Act No. XXIV).[6] In 1874, the police headquarters was established 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.[5]
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 police headquarters was briefly 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.[5] The organisation was renamed as Tamil Nadu Police, after renaming of the state in 1969.[7] 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.[5]
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.[5] In 2022, the department set up a dedicated Cyber Crime Investigation Centre at Chennai.[8]
Organization
The Tamil Nadu Police is headed by a Director General of Police (DGP), who is designated as the Head of Police Force. He 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.[9] 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 IG is assisted by one or more Deputy Inspector General of Police, who oversee a jurisdiction of one or more districts. Each district is headed by a Superintendent of Police, and the district police is divided into various sub-divisions, each headed by a 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. While the Chennai City is headed by a Commissioner with a rank equivalent to ADGP, 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.[10]
Each police station is typically headed by an Inspector, or in semi-urban and rural areas, by a Sub-Inspector. A police station generally comprises Sub-Inspectors, special Sub-Inspectors, Head Constables, and Constables, who are responsible for routine policing and investigation.[11][12]
The zonal Inspector General of Police will be responsible for all the police functions, including maintenance of law and order, crime control, internal security, civil defense, enforcement of all legislations, including special laws empowering police force and various other public services insofar as their zone is concerned. They are also accountable for modernisation of police force, and proposals should be routed through him as far as his zone is concerned.
They are link in the chain of command between the Director General of Police and Range Deputy Inspector General of Police/District Superintendent of Police in their jurisdictions.
They should endeavour by frequent personal inspections to establish and maintain efficiency and discipline, to ensure uniformity of procedure and practice and to secure cooperation between the police of their ranges/districts as well as harmonious working between the police, revenue and the judiciary.
The Zonal Inspector General of Police will control, instruct and advise the range Deputy Inspectors General of Police/Commissioners of Police/Superintendents of Police while being careful not to supersede them in any of their proper functions or relations to their subordinates. They will not assume the role of Deputy Inspectors General of Police/Superintendents of Police in times of grave disorder, taking over full control of the situation. They will pay particular attention to the training of and the discipline in the Armed Reserve and also supervise the functioning of AWPS in his Zone, so that the highest possible standard of efficiency may be reached and maintained.
The Zonal Inspector General of Police will conduct inspection of the districts units once in two years and inspection of range units once in a year, besides taking up of 1/7th of police stations, circle officers and sub divisions. The Zonal Inspector General of Police should avoid inspection wherever it is programmed to be inspected by the Range Deputy Inspectors of Police concerned in the particular year. The Zonal Inspector General of Police will send a copy of the inspection notes to the Director General of Police through Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order). The Zonal Inspector General of Police must also review the inspection notes of the Deputy Inspectors General of police/Superintendents of Police.
Copies of all weekly reports of Superintendents of Police/ Deputy Inspectors General of Police/ should be marked to the concerned zonal Inspector General of Police who shall review and send it up with their remarks.
Fortnightly reports of Superintendents of Police/ Deputy Inspectors General of Police should be routed through the concerned zonal Inspector General of Police who shall review and send it up with his remarks wherever action is warranted.
They shall conduct periodic reviews on all the aspects mentioned under par 3(i) above along with review of performance of Deputy Inspectors General of police and Superintendents of Police in his jurisdiction. A monthly consolidated report reflecting the happenings in the zone should be sent by them to the Government through the Director General of Police not later than 7th day of the succeeding month and it shall reach the Government before the 15th day of the succeeding month with the remarks of the Director General of Police. A reporting format will be evolved and standardized by the Director General of Police under information to the Government.
They will have powers of review over all the special units in his zone whose performance appraisal also has to be incorporated in the monthly performance review report prescribed above.
Ranks of law enforcement in Tamil Nadu
The ranks, posts and designations of all police officers vary from state to state as law and order is a state matter. But, generally the following pattern is observed:[13][14][15]
Gazetted Officers
Indian Police Service gazetted officers rank insignia[16][17][18]
Note: In Tamil Nadu Special Police (Armed Police Bns), SP, Addl. SP, and DSP are called Commandant, Deputy Commandant, and Assistant Commandant, while Head Constable and Grade I Constable are termed Havildar and Naik.
Tamil Nadu Police headquarters in Beach Road Chennai
Transfer of personnel up to the rank of Inspector of Police within the zone. All inter Range transfers of personnel up to the rank of Inspector of Police including Inspector of Police (Armed Reserve) within the Zone will be decided by the Zonal Inspector General of Police. The Zonal Inspector General of Police will issue orders of transfers to Ranges/City in respect of Inspectors/ Sub-Inspector of Police and to the Districts/Cities in respect of constabulary within his zone. The concerned appointing authorities viz the Deputy Inspectors General of Police/Commissioners of Police in respect of Inspectors of Police/Sub Inspectors of Police and the Superintendent of Police/Deputy Commissioner of Police in respect of constabulary will issue necessary transfer and posting orders. All norms relating to transfers and postings prescribed in the Rules and Guidelines issued by the Government/Director General of Police should be followed. It should be ensured that the officer gets a chance to serve in different wings of the Department particularly the ones which are essential for promotion. It should be ensured that no one is transferred before completion of his tenure in the present station (except on adverse grounds). At the same time no one should be allowed to continue in the same police station after completion of 2 years in violation of G.O.Ms.No.661, Home (Police-I) Dept., dated.13.05.91. Those who have completed 2 years (or) will be completing 2 years on 1 April should be transferred out. In the case of pre-mature transfers on extra ordinary circumstances, Director General of Police shall be addressed explaining the necessity for orders and ratification obtained.
Sanction of Casual Leave/Holiday Permission / Permission to leave Headquarters: The power of sanctioning Casual Leave/Holiday Permission/ Permission to leave headquarters to the district Superintendents of Police/Deputy Commissioners of Police, Range Deputy Inspectors General of Police and Commissioner of Police, hitherto exercised by the Director General of Police be now delegated to the Zonal Inspector General of Police.
Sanction of MSEs up to the level of the Inspectors of Police. Now, this power has been vested with ADGP., (L&O), Chennai-04.
Routine cyber offences including phishing, vishing, morphing, extortion and cyber stalking complainants from individuals are investigated by the cyber crime police stations in districts and cities. The Cyber Crime Wing is headed by the Additional Director General of Police, Cyber Crime.[8]
The Cyber Crime Investigation Centre located at the hear quarter of Cyber Crime Wing of Tamil Nadu police in Ashok Nagar, Chennai, deals exclusively with organised cyber crime, ransomware attacks and cryptocurrency frauds . The Cyber Crime Investigation Centre was notified as a police station with wider power and jurisdiction across the state. It investigates cases with undefined jurisdiction of suspects and complainants. It also investigates social media posts that abuse constitutional functionaries, damage state integrity, disturbs public order, anti-national activities, media that affect the sovereignty and integrity of India.[8]
Social Media Monitoring Centre, in 2022, the Tamil Nadu Government announced its formation "to monitor and curb the spread of fake news and misinformation online".[20]
Notable operations
Veerappan was a bandit who was active in the forests along the border region of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala in the late 20th century. He defied the state governments and paramilitary forces over a decade, and was wanted for killing more than 100 people including government officials and police officers.[21] He was involved in poaching of elephants and smugglingivory and sandalwood.[22][23] In 2004, the Special Task Force of the Tamil Nadu Police launched Operation Cocoon in the Sathyamangalam forests, to capture Veerappan and his associates. The operation, headed by K. Vijay Kumar, and N. K. Senthamarai Kannan, led to the killing of Veerappan on 18 October 2004.[24][25]
Bawaria robberies were a series of robbery, murder, and assault that were perpetrated in residential areas along various national highways in Tamil Nadu between 1995 and 2005. These cases of organised dacoity were carried out by a group of truck drivers from the Bawaria community. The group looted about ₹20 million (US$240,000) across 24 robberies while killing 13 people, and injuring 63 others during the incidents.[26][27][28] The Tamil Nadu Police formed a special investigation team under the aegis of S. R. Jangid to capture the robbers who were wanted in multiple cases across India. The subsequent police operation resulted in the deaths of two, and arrest of eight others including the leader Oma Bawaria in 2005.[29][30][31]
The Tamil Nadu Police has faced occasional criticism for acts of misconduct, corruption, bias, and custodial deaths.
On 20 June 1992, a team of police, forest officers and revenue officers conducted a raid in the village of Vachathi in Dharmapuri district, while accusing the villagers of aiding Veerappan.[34] The team ransacked the villagers' property, destroyed their houses, killed their cattle, assaulted around 100 villagers, and raped 18 women.[35][36] After a court order, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) began probing the case.[37] On 29 September 2011, a special court convicted all 269 accused officials including 17 of them for rape. Fifty-four of the original accused had died by the time of the convictions, while the remaining 215 were sentenced to jail.[38]
On 31 August 1995, about 600 men of the Tamil Nadu Police attacked Dalit families in Kodiyankulam village in Thoothukudi district. The officials destroyed properties and food grains, and poisoned the public water sources. They harassed the women, and looted cash and jewellery. While the police reported that the raid was intended to apprehend suspects in a murder investigation and recover explosives and deadly weapons, the police raid was reported to have targeted the Dalits, on the orders of upper caste officials.[39][40]
On 22 and 23 May 2018, police opened fire on protesters in Thoothukudi during a protest against proposed expansion of a copper smelter plant run by Sterlite. The incident resulted in the deaths of 13 people and left 102 injured. Several policemen were also injured during the protests.[41][42]
In 2021, the Chennai Police intervened on a complaint by the parents of a lesbian couple, who willingly fled their houses fearing interrogation and harassment. In a subsequent case, the Madras High Court stressed the need to reform the police force and introduce a specific clause among the judiciary and law enforcement while dealing with issues regarding same sex couples.[43][44][45]
Custodial deaths
As per the Ministry of home affairs, there were 172 custodial deaths reported in the state during the period FY 2020-21 to FY 2021-22.[46] On 19 June 2019, P. Jeyaraj and his son Bennicks were arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police at Sathankulam for allegedly keeping their store open past the government stipulated timings. They were tortured in custody, and Bennicks died on 22 June 2020 and P. Jeyaraj died later on 23 June 2020.[47] The case was transferred to the CBI, nine police officers were arrested later, and the Friends of Police, a community initiative, was discontinued in its aftermath.[48] On 28 June 2025, 27-year-old B. Ajith Kumar was illegally taken into custody by the Tamil Nadu Police for investigation into an alleged theft case in Thirupuvanam, Sivaganga. He later died of police torture during the unofficial interrogation.[49] The case was transferred to the CBI after the intervention of the Madras High Court,[50] and at least four policemen were arrested.[51]
↑The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) is a post, not a rank, typically held by an SP (selection grade or junior grade) in states like Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab.
↑The Inspector of Police is a Group B Gazetted Officer.
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