State police

Each state and union territory of India has a state police force, headed by the Commissioner of Police (State) or Director General of Police (DGP). It is controlled by the Chief Minister and Home Minister of the state/union territory. The state police is responsible for maintaining law and order in townships of the state and the rural areas. States such as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have taken steps to get their police force trained by advanced police training schools notably the Atlanta City Police of the USA and the World Police Academy of Canada. The Tamil Nadu state police is at the forefront of advancement with the Tamil Nadu Police Academy which now is seeking university status.

Organisation
 Some state forces are organized into Police Ranges, headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) or Additional Commissioner of Police, who control several Police Districts.
 The Police District is the fulcrum of state police activity and each Police District of the state is headed by a Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police or Superintendent of Police (SP).
 The Police District is divided into Police Sub-Divisions and will be under the command of an Assistant Commissioner of Police or Deputy Superintendent of Police.
 The Police Sub-Division is made up of one or more Police Circles, and is under the command of an Inspector of Police often referred to as the Circle Inspector (CI).
 Under the Police Circles are the police stations, generally under the control of a Sub-Inspector (SI). As per the various Indian laws, Sub-Inspector (and above) are the only officers who can file a charge sheet in the court.
Each state police force also maintains its own armed police force (known as variously as the Provincial Armed Constabulary, Special Police and Armed Police) which is responsible for emergencies and crowd control issues. They are generally activated only on orders from the Additional Commissioner of Police, and higher-level authorities. The armed constabulary do not usually come into contact with the general public unless they are assigned to VIP duty or to maintain order during fairs, festivals, athletic events, elections, and natural disasters. They may also be sent to quell outbreaks of student or labor unrest, organized crime, and communal riots; to maintain key guard posts; and to participate in anti-terrorist operations. Depending on the type of assignment, the Armed Police force may carry only lathis or lethal weapons.