The service of IPS officer has the difficult and unenviable task of maintaining public safety and security. A job that not only demands mental alertness and physical fitness but puts all of one's abilities to the harshest of tests while dealing with the ever increasing crime graph. However, the role of the IPS has changed over the years. Now, IPS is not solely concerned with the maintenance of law and order in the traditional sense. Its ambit now includes listening to public grievances regarding neglect or delay of police action, formulating strategies for various programmes associated with public welfare, and taking preventive steps to ensure that elements disrupting social peace are dealt with swiftly and ruthlessly.

To fulfill these functions, the service has been divided into many functional departments: Crime Branch, Criminal Investigation Department or CID, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Traffic Bureau. A number of central policing agencies are also headed by the IPS including the Intelligence Bureau, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Cabinet Secretariat Security, Border Security Force (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police force (CRPF).
To serve in the Indian Police Service one has to pass the Civil Services Examination or elevated from the state cadre, which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, every year. This examination is a common examination conducted for selection to the other one of the other All India Services, viz. the Indian Administrative Service, as well as various other Group A and Group B services under the Central Government. (The recruitment examination for the third All India Service- the Indian Forest Service- is conducted separately by the UPSC.) This examination consists of three stages.
At stage one, there is an objective type examination called the Preliminary examination. This is a qualifying examination and only the candidates who clear this can appear for the next stage called the Main examination. In the Main examination each candidate has to select two optional subjects, apart from which all candidates have to take a General Studies, Essay and compulsory language exam. The Main examination is a very intensive subjective type examination for which marks are awarded.
A shortlist is prepared on the basis of the Main examination and these candidates can compete in the third and final stage of exam called the Viva voce or the Interview. The marks of the Main examination and the Interview are combined to prepare a final merit list of selected candidates. The officers of the Indian Police Service (IPS) are trained mainly at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in the city of Hyderabad.

THE INDIAN POLICE SERVICE (APPOINTMENT BY COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION) REGULATIONS, 1955
In pursuance of Rule 7 of the Indian Police Service (Recruitment) Rules, 1954, the Central Government, in consultation with the State Governments and the Union Public Service Commission, hereby makes the following regulations, namely:-
1. Short title.—These regulations may be called the Indian Police Service (Appointment by Competitive Examination) Regulations, 1955.
2. Definitions.-(1) In these regulations, unless the context, otherwise requires,-
(a) ‘Available vacancies’ means the vacancies in the Service which, as determined by the Central Government under the provisions of sub-rule (2) of rule 4 of the Recruitment Rules, are to be filled on the results of an examination,

(b) ‘Commission’ means the Union Public Service Commission;
(c) ‘examination’ means a combined competitive examination consisting of a preliminary examination and a main examination for recruitment to the Service held under sub-rule (1) of rule 7 of the Recruitment Rules and includes a combined competitive examination for recruitment to the Service and such other Service or Services as may be specified by the Central Government from time to time;
(d) ‘List’ means the list of candidates prepared under regulation 7;
(e) ‘Recruitment Rules’ means the Indian Police Service (Recruitment) Rules, 1954;
(f) ‘Schedule’ means the Schedule appended to these regulations;
(g) ‘Scheduled Castes’ and ‘Scheduled Tribes’ shall have the same meanings as are assigned to them by clauses (24) and (25) respectively of Article 366 of the Constitution of India; and
(h) ‘Service’ means the Indian Police Service.
2(2) All other words and expressions used in these regulations and not defined shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Recruitment Rules.
3. Holding of Examination :-( 1) The examination shall be conducted by the Commission in the manner notified by the Central Government from time to time.
(2) The dates on which and the places at which the examination shall be held, shall be fixed by the Commission.
4. Conditions of Eligibility:-In order to be eligible to compete at the examination, a candidate must satisfy the following conditions, namely:-
(i) Nationality.-
(a) He must be a citizen of India, or,
(b) He must belong to such categories of persons as may, from time to time, be notified in this behalf by the Central Government.
(ii) Age: - He must have attained the age of 21 and not attained the age of 30 on the first day of August of the year in which the examination is held:
Provided that the upper age limit may be relaxed in respect of such categories of persons as may from time to time, be notified in this behalf by the Central

Government, to the extent and subject to the conditions notified in respect of each category:
Provided further that the upper age limit shall be raised to 31 years for the candidates appearing at the examination to be conducted by the Commission in 1990.
(iii) Educational Qualifications.- He must hold a degree of any University incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as Universities under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or a foreign University approved by the Central Government from time to time, or possess a qualification which has been recognized by the Central Government [for the purpose of admission to the examination]:
Provided that-
in the exceptional cases the Commission may, [ ] treat as qualified a candidate who though not possessing the qualification prescribed in this clause, has passed examinations conducted by other institutions of a standard which, in the opinion of the Commission, justifies the admission of the candidate to the examination; and
(b) Candidates who are otherwise qualified but have taken degrees from foreign Universities, which are not approved by the Central Government, may also be admitted to the examination at the discretion of the Commission.