Women are believed to be crafted by God as embodiments of compassion, love, strength, and inexplicable power. Not only is a woman bestowed with the power to create life on the planet, but also equipped with the gumption, strength, and conviction needed to obliterate all evils from society and replace it with law and order. To explore this power further, it is important to include and recognize the contribution of women in law enforcement.
In India, where the powerful contribution of women can be observed in the fields of business and politics alike, it is high time that women shatter all gender stereotypes and participate in maintaining law and order in society. After India was freed from the clutches of British colonialism, the former Imperial Police of India was finally replaced by the Indian Police Service or the IPS. Among the three All India Services, the Indian Police Service has been included in the Indian constitution under Article 312.
As India started taking rapid steps towards progression both in terms of economy and education as well as trade and commerce, there began a conscious drive to recruit more and more women in the coveted IPS positions. The first woman to unlock the doors of these dreams of transforming society into a better place for the citizens and fighting against the injustices meted out to them was Kiran Bedi, who was the first women IPS officers. Since then, several women have aspired to take up the challenging career of IPS so that they can uphold justice in a society, fight for the marginalized and weak and exhibit unwavering courage and determination to make a difference. In order to undertake this inspiring journey of becoming an women IPS officers and dedicate their lives to the honorary task of protecting society, here are a few important tips that will come in handy while preparing for the entrance examination:
If you want to make your career as a fearless women IPS officers, your minimum height requirement is 150 centimetres. However, if you are a part of the scheduled tribe of India, the height requirement will be relaxed to 145 centimetres for women. Not only that, the girth of your chest should be fully expandable up to 79 centimetres with the capability to expand it by 5 centimetres more. You must remember that you would be disqualified from the fitness test for women IPS officers in India if you possess a squint. Your distant vision should have the corrected vision of 6/ 6 or 6/9 if you have a better eyesight. However, if your sight is weak, the requirement of your corrected vision should be 6/9 or 6/12. Likewise for the near vision, in the worst eye, the corrected vision that is approved is J2 ** and for a better eye, it is J1 **. If you have some corrections done to improve your vision, the permitted ones include refractive surgeries like IOL, LASIK, and so on. If you are wearing spectacles that is also permitted. In case the female candidates have a myopia that is more than 6.00 D along with cylindrical and spherical problems, those candidates should be examined by a specific myopia board.
In order to prepare for the challenging career of an IPS officer, every female candidate must clear the civil services exam or CSE which is organized by the Union Public Service Commission also known as UPSC. It is mandatory to clear this exam with excellent marks that will confirm the entry of the candidate into the names shortlisted for the medical tests. Usually, the Civil Service Exam is conducted in three different phases which are prelims, mains, and the final step is the UPSC interview. Once the female candidate clears the interview, they are immediately referred for medical tests which are usually held the following day after the interview.
Although the Civil Service Examinations are one of the toughest competitive exams in India, only cracking the tests is not enough to become women IPS officers in India. In fact, there are certain skills that every female candidate must possess if they want to see their long-cherished dream of becoming an IPS officer fulfilled. Some of these skills are excellent ability to communicate with people, staying calm-headed and taking critical decisions during any kind of adverse situation and most importantly maintaining the highest level of physical fitness for enhanced mobility and dexterity. Being one of the guardians of law and order in society, the candidates need to have impressive problem-solving skills in order to ace the exams for becoming an IPS officer. Most importantly, staying connected with the people and consolidating their trust is also important to become successful women IPS officers in India.
Studying for the IPS examinations can be an extremely cumbersome task. However, having some prior knowledge of what to prepare can help to fix the apprehensions that are very common among the candidates throughout the tenure of preparation. That is why it is recommended that every female candidate who wants to appear for the preliminary exams of the IPS must have sufficient preparation for papers which are usually of 250 marks each and deal with subjects like Indian culture, history and heritage, and world geography, international relations, governance, social justice, constitution, disaster management, economic development, biodiversity, technology, environment and ethics. It is important to start preparations for the IPS exams early so that there is a minimum backlog and complete mental preparation to appear for such a challenging job.
With all these tips on the physical requirements, examination pattern, and skills needed to become women IPS officers in India, there are some more suggestions on the overall preparation for the exams which can be a very resourceful solution for female candidates looking for a guide to enlighten them. Firstly, as has been mentioned already, the preparation for the IPS examination is extremely time-consuming, which means that starting the preparation early would help to complete the syllabus in time. Secondly, leading a disciplined life is very significant so that the candidates can balance their time for studying for the exams and get some time to relax. Thirdly, the female candidates must have clarity of their goals and clear milestones fixed in their minds which would help them to focus on their goal without succumbing to any kind of distractions. Fourthly, cultural competency is very important for taking up any post of law and order in India and the position of an IPS officer is no exception.
To conclude, preparing for the IPS examination is like preparing oneself with the ideology of truth, honesty, and righteousness. When the formal examination and selection process is accomplished, every woman candidate is ready to step out into the world and become the vigilante and protector of Indian law, just like her male counterpart.