Uttar Pradesh Police

The Uttar Pradesh Police (UP Police), (IAST: ), is the primary law enforcement agency within the Uttar Pradesh state of India. Established in 1863 as the Office of the Inspector General of Police, United Provinces under the "Police Act, 1861"., the U.P Police is one of the oldest police departments in the Republic of India, and is the largest police force in the world.
The UP Police headquarters is at Signature Building, Gomti Nagar, Ardonamau in Lucknow.
The UP police employ around 1,368 gazetted officers, and 231,443 non gazetted uniformed officers.
Uttar Pradesh police are governed by the Department of Home and Confidential of Uttar Pradesh.
The Uttar Pradesh Police is headed by the Director General of Police (DGP) for the state of Uttar Pradesh, who is the highest-ranking (DG) IPS officer of the state cadre.
UP Police is the first Indian state police agency to have a highway patrol Unit, the UP Highway Police (UPHP).
History.
The present police system was created following the recommendation of the Police Commission headed by H.M. Court in 1860 and was enacted as Police Act of 1861. H.M. Court became the first inspector general of police of the then North West Province and Avadh which comprised the territory of the present state of Uttar Pradesh. 
Since then many amendments in the Police Act of 1861 have happened which has shaped the current institution and structure of police in the state.
Organization and structure.
A Director General of Police (DGP) heads the state police. He is assisted by many police officers. State police headquarters is situated in Lucknow.
For the purpose of maintaining law and order in the state, the state of Uttar Pradesh is divided into 8 police zones. Each zone is headed by an officer of the rank of additional director general of police who is an officer of the Indian police Service. Each police zone is constituted by 2 to 3 police ranges.There are a total of 18 police ranges in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Each range is headed by an officer of the rank of either inspector general of police or deputy inspector general of police which corresponds with the administrative division. Each police range is constituted by around 2 to 4 districts.
There are a total of 74 police districts in the state. In each district (except Lucknow (city), Gautam Buddha Nagar, Kanpur Nagar and Varanasi), the head of the police is the SP or SSP. In the discharge of his duties he is assisted by Superintendent of Police (SP), Deputy Superintendent of Police (Deputy SP) or Assistant Superintendent of Police who may either be the officers of the Provincial Police Service or Indian Police Service. The number of SPs and Deputy SPs varies with the size, population, police work, or nature of police work in different districts. The number of SPs and Dy.SPs in districts like Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar, Agra, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Meerut, Allahabad is considerably more than other districts. Whereas in smaller districts like Baghpat, Kannauj, Mahoba, Chandauli the number of the PPS officers is relatively lesser.
Typically, a police district in the state corresponds with the administrative district. Though, the head of the police force in the district is the senior superintendent of police (SSP)/superintendent of police (SP), who is always an officer of the Indian Police Service, the ultimate/final responsibility with regard to the maintenance of the law and order in the district lies with the district magistrate who is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service. The police district is further subdivided into police sub-divisions or police circles. A police circle is usually headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police or Assistant Superintendent of Police. The officer heading the police circle/sub-division is designated as the Circle Officer (C.O.) in the state of Uttar Pradesh. A police circle is usually constituted by 2 to 4 police stations. Each police station is headed by a police inspector. Throughout the state of Uttar Pradesh and other states, especially in North India, there is the main police station in the older/ main part of the city known as the Kotwali. The Kotwali covers the main or usually the older part of the town/city under its jurisdiction. Earlier, when the cities and towns were smaller and had a lesser population than at present and they hadn't grown in size so much, Kotwali covered the main town area of the cities or the districts. A police station is also called as a thana in the local language. The officer in charge of a police station is designated as or called as the station officer (S.O.) or station house officer (S.H.O). He is assisted by various sub-inspectors, head-constables, constables. There are also a number of police chowkis that come under the police station. A police chowki is under the charge of a sub-inspector of police. The regular constabulary carries the bulk of normal beat policing and patrolling.
The police commissioner system has been implemented in the cities of Lucknow City, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Kanpur Nagar and Varanasi. In the commissionerate system, the Commissioner of Police (CP) in the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADG) heads the district. In Lucknow, the CP is assisted by 2 Joint Commissioners of Police (JCPs) in the rank of IG, and in Gautam Buddh Nagar, the commissioner is assisted by 2 Additional Commissioners (Addl. CPs) in the rank of DIG who look after Law and order while other looks into Crime & Headquarters. Under them, there is a team of IPS & PPS officers who are posted as DCPs and ACPs. Three DCPs are posted in a zone. One DCP's insignia is the state emblem above one star, who is senior to the other two DCPs, whose insignia is one state emblem only. Under the DCPs work ACPs, who are the chiefs of various circles. They are vested with the powers of the executive magistrate for criminal cases. Police Commissionerates are independent of zonal & range police chiefs supervision. They are also vested with powers of an executive magistrate under various acts.
Police Commissionerates.
There are 4 police commissionerates under UP Police:-
Technology.
Facial recognition system.
UP police uses a database of 500,000+ criminals with facial recognition technology in its "Trinetra" face identification system.
Social media research center.
A social media command and research center has been established in Meerut. The center monitors trends in social media that can have an impact on law & order situation and advise concerned district and range police chiefs.
Corruption and misconduct.
The Uttar Pradesh Police has an extensive history of police brutality, misconduct, and corruption, as well as discrimination on the basis of caste and religion.
In 2011, senior UP police officer who exposed corruption was termed “mentally ill” and forcibly taken to a hospital by the UP police.
In 2017, eight donkeys were detained for 4 days for eating expensive($1,000) plants.
In 2017, a UP policeman was caught destroying Indian railways property in a bid to stop a moving train to catch a fleeing prisoner. After the Cop jumped off the moving train, he was thrashed by Railway police for jumping off a moving train and vandalism of Indian railway property and the prisoner escaped.
In 2020, an officer who highlighted corruption in the police department was probed for ‘leaking secret documents’ to the media.
In 2020, SHO Mani Shankar Tewari of Kheron police station in Raebareli district was caught giving lessons in corruption to his subordinates. Tewari was heard saying "You can commit crimes...I will manage as long as I am here" and "We can get Rs.10–15 thousand if we catch those involved in illegal mining...but if you apprehend a woman involved in selling illicit liquor we will get only Rs. one or two thousand so why take so much trouble".
In 2020, Uttar Pradesh government started an operation to screen corrupt police officials who will be forced to take retirement.
In the 2020 Hathras gang rape and murder UP Police forcibly cremated the body of the victim girl without the consent of her family. Chandpa SHO DK Verma was transferred for his "failure to promptly act" in the case.
Corruption in hiring.
In 2007, 18,000 police officers were fired as they were hired despite being unqualified for the job. These new recruits were illiterates who bribed between ₹100,000 and ₹500,000 to cheat in the UP police entrance tests.
Drunk on duty.
In 2017, 3 cops caught were caught drinking beer on duty in Etawah.
Firearms.
Most of the weapons in service with the Uttar Pradesh Police are locally produced by the Indian ordnance factories controlled by the Ordnance Factories Board, the police also induct various weapons imported by the Ministry of Home Affairs as part of modernization plans.
As per the 2017 audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Uttar Pradesh Police has a shortage of 45,047 handguns and an excess of 56,298 rifles.
48%, 58,853, of the 1.22 lakh (122,000) rifles available to the state police are of point-303 bore category, which was rendered obsolete by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1995.
Weapons of the UP Police also include: