Editing Constable (section)

===India===

{{main|Police ranks and insignia of India}}

Police constable (abbreviated PC) is the lowest police rank in India, below [[head constable]]. General [[Law enforcement in India|law and order]] being a [[State List|state subject]] in India, each [[States and union territories of India|state government]] recruits police constables. A police constable has no shoulder insignia, while a head constable has one or more stripes or chevrons, depending on the state. Since each state has its own police force, the uniforms and insignia of the police vary, though the [[List of police ranks in India|rank structure]] is the same.

In the [[Kerala Police|Kerala State Police]], the designations for personnel in the ranks of constable and head constable are Civil Police Officer (CPO) and Senior Civil Police Officer (SCPO), respectively.

The [[Central Armed Police Forces]] (CAPF), under the [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]] of the [[Government of India]], also maintain the same ranks as state police even though their jurisdiction varies considerably, with the constables recruited to the CAPF having to do duty all over India. They perform duties such as maintaining internal security, [[Border guard|border guarding]], and counter-insurgency operations and [[riot control]]. Similarly, the [[Railway Protection Force]] (RPF) maintains the ranks of Constable and Head Constable.<ref>{{Cite web |title=RPF |url=https://rpf.indianrailways.gov.in/RPF/Recruitments/Completed.jsp |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=rpf.indianrailways.gov.in}}</ref> However, their duties and jurisdiction are specifically focused on the Indian railway network. RPF personnel are responsible for protecting railway property, preventing accidents, and ensuring passenger safety. Nearly all the police constables wear [[khaki]]-coloured uniforms, which indicate that they are police personnel.

Generally there are three types of constables in India, depending upon the unit, wing, branch or section they are attached to. Civil police constables are attached to a [[police station]], traffic police constables control road traffic, telecommunication constables manage communications, whereas armed police constables are attached to armed police units. The types of constables are based on nature of their duties. The Indian police constables do a wide range of duties like patrol, beat system, crime detection, escorting of prisoners and VIPs, guarding vital offices and installations, vehicle traffic control on roads, riot control, assisting civil administration during disasters, epidemics and elections.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bprd.nic.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/file/6798203243-Volume%202.pdf |title=Functions, Roles and Duties of Police in General |publisher=BPRD |access-date= 3 January 2021}}</ref> Generally a police constable does his duty in his jurisdiction area, but can be assigned anywhere by his superiors depending on the situation or need. The duty hours of Indian police constables are erratic, many times without weekly time off or leave.

Police recruitment is based on a written test, plus physical and medical tests. After appointment all police constables have to undergo compulsory training; the duration of training may vary from nine months to one year depending on state. The training and duty of police is physically and mentally strenuous in India.