All You Need to Know About Police Ranks in Pakistan

One of the most important institutions in any country, a police force plays a vital role in maintaining law and order and investigating crime. The police force in Pakistan is divided into a number of different ranks, each with its own set of responsibilities.

Graana.com has prepared a detailed guide on the police ranks in Pakistan below, along with their roles, responsibilities, and basic pay scales.

Police Departments in Pakistan

The most significant police departments in Pakistan are as follows:

Police Ranks List in Pakistan

The table below shows the ranks (along with the grades) in the police force of Pakistan.

Senior Police Ranks in Pakistan

Pakistan’s provinces are divided into regions, which are then further broken down into districts.

Each district has a District Police Officer (DPO), who effectively serves as the local police chief. The City Police Officer (CPO) or Regional Police Officer (RPO) reports to the Provincial Police Officer (PPO), who receives direct reports from the DPO.

DPO, RPO, CPO, and PPO are posts in Pakistan, not police ranks, much like the Station House Officer (SHO).

Assistant Superintendent/Deputy Superintendent

As mentioned above, every district in Pakistan has either two or more sub-divisions. The Deputy Superintendent of Police is in charge of a subdivision. Due to the fact that the BPS 17 civil service grade is required for this position, ASPs and DSPs are gazetted officers.

Pakistani police officers must possess a bachelor’s degree (14 years of formal education) from an accredited university in Pakistan in order to hold this position.

The applicant must be between the ages of 21 and 28 to be considered for the role. The basic salaries for ASP and DSP police officers range from Rs. 30,370 to Rs 76,370.

Superintendent of Police (SP)

The Superintendent of Police oversees a non-field position at police headquarters. This position’s base pay grade is BPS 18. The SP receives a salary in the range of Rs. 38,350 to Rs. 95,750.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)

The Senior Superintendent of Police is either the DPO or has a non-field job at police headquarters. The civil service grade for the position of SSP is BPS 19, and the salary typically starts from Rs. 59,210 and goes up to Rs. 120,210.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG)

The Deputy Inspector General may be the RPO, CPO, or an official in control of a branch, division, or wing that is not in the field. DIG may be referred to as a City Police Officer or a Regional Police Officer.

The starting salary for a DIG position in the Pakistani police force is BPS 20. The pay ranges from Rs. 59,210 to Rs. 120,210.

Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG)

The Additional Inspector General is in charge of a region or a capital. A non-field branch, division, or wing can be led by someone of this rank. Their civil service grade is BPS 21, and the pay ranges from Rs. 76,720 to Rs. 146,720.

Inspector General of Police (IGP)

The top position in the Police Department is Inspector General. A PPO in charge of the administrative and provincial police forces is known as an IGP. This job is a three-star appointment with a BPS 21 or 22 civil service grade.

The pay ranges from Rs. 82,380 to Rs. 164,560. The provinces of Punjab, KPK, Sindh, and Balochistan each have their own police forces.

The police forces of Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) serve in their respective regions.

Each police division has an Inspector-General who is chosen among the most senior members of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), which is a part of the Central Superior Services of Pakistan.

Junior Police Ranks in Pakistan

A district is regarded as the fundamental unit of territory in Pakistan. Subdivisions within each district are further subdivided into police stations. Furthermore, specific beats are created throughout each police station.

Patrolling, surveillance and information collection are among the responsibilities given to the less senior officers, such as Constables, Head Constables, and Assistant Sub-Inspectors.

SHO stands for Station House Officer, the officer in charge of a police station. They’re responsible for its overall operations, including supervision and investigations. Police stations may have smaller units called chowkis or booths for local coverage, but major crimes are typically handled by the main station. The Sub-Inspector of Police typically acts as the SHO in smaller districts and rural regions. The Inspector of Police is designated as the SHO in larger, more densely inhabited districts. 

It is also important to note that SHO is a post, not a rank. That means, in certain cases, officials with lower police ranks in Pakistan may also serve at higher posts.

Constable

A constable is a member of the subordinate personnel at a police station. The required age range for this position is 18 to 26 years old. Depending on the province, the grade for constables runs from BPS 5 to BPS 7. The pay range is Rs. 10,260–25,260. The minimum requirement is a matriculation certificate.

Head Constable

The position of a constable is beneath that of a head constable. The civil service grade for head constables in Pakistan runs from BPS 7 to BPS 9. The base pay ranges from Rs. 10,990 to Rs. 29,290.

Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI)

The Assistant Sub-Inspector is positioned above the constable and head constable in the police station. The civil service grade for this police officer ranges from BPS 9 to BPS 11, and the salary ranges from Rs. 11,770 to Rs. 33,670.

Sub-Inspector Police (SI)

A Sub-Inspector may manage a small police station in a suburban or rural area, or serve as a member of the police staff in a larger town or metropolis. For this position, the civil service grade is BPS 14 and the pay ranges from Rs. 15,180 to Rs. 50,280.

Inspector of Police (IP)

Police inspectors, also known as Station House Officers (SHOs), are tasked with overseeing police stations’ chiefs. BPS 16 is the civil service grade for this post. The monthly salary of a police inspector ranges from Rs. 18,910 to Rs. 64,510.

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