Railway Protection Force is a security force under the

ownership Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...

Ministry of Railways A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructure ...

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

established by the Railway Protection Force Act, 1957; enacted by the

Indian Parliament The Parliament of India (IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of t ...

for "the better protection and security of railway property and passenger area". It has the power to search, arrest, investigate, and prosecute offenses committed under Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act 1966, The Railways Act, 1989 (amended from time to time). However the power of arrests under other penal laws rests in the hands of the Government Railway Police (GRP) of state police. The force is under the authority of the Indian

. All the officers of Railway Protection Force are members of the ''Indian Railway Protection Force Service'' (IRPFS) and are recruited through UPSC

Civil Services Examination The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a national competitive examination in India conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to higher Civil Services of the Government of India, including the Indian Administrative Se ...

. They are recruited as Group-A Central Civil Servants. However, the post of Director-General of RPF is held on deputation by a senior

Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service ( IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Raj. Along with the Indian Administrative Service ( ...

(IPS) officer. Recruitment also occurs for various posts like sub-inspectors & constables. Such recruitments are conducted through various exams held by the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. Railway Protection Force Jawans

History

2010–2020

The percentage of women in the RPF is the highest among all central paramilitary forces in India. It stands at 10% as of March 2019.

Structure (gazetted officers)

The Gazetted IRPFS Officers utilises a similar rank structure to the IPS (

). Non-gazetted ranks are the same as those used in the State Police Services. The job profile differs for each position

Governance

The governance of RPF is based on the following relevant legislation, rules and directives. * Railway Protection Force Act, 1957 * Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1966 * Railway Protection Force Rules, 1987 – Laid, by the

central government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or del ...

, as per provisions under RPF Act, 1957. * Railway Protection Force Directives, 1987

References

External links

Official website of the Railway Protection Force
{{Law enforcement in India Ministry of Railways (India) Federal law enforcement agencies of India Railroad police agencies Specialist law enforcement agencies of India 1872 establishments in British India Government agencies established in 1872