Kerala Police

Kerala State Police
Emblem
Flag
AbbreviationKP
Mottoമൃദു ഭാവെ ദൃഢ കൃത്യേ "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye"
"Soft in Temperament, Firm in Action"
Agency overview
FormedNovember 1, 1956 (1956)
Annual budget6,579.53 crore (US$780 million) (2026–27 est.)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionKerala, IN
Jurisdiction of Kerala Police
Size15,008.13 sq mi (38,870.88 km2)
Population34,630,192
Legal jurisdictionAs per operations jurisdiction
Governing bodyHome Department, Government of Kerala
Constituting instrument
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersVazhuthacaud, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala – 695010

Map of Kerala Police Department's jurisdiction. The map on left shows Kerala in India and on right shows the State with Thiruvananthapuram district in red.
Sworn members62,618 (Sanctioned)
57,819 (Actual)
Minister responsible
Agency executive
Units
List of units
  • Law and Order Division
  • Crime Branch
  • State Special Branch
  • Training (Kerala Police Academy)
  • Armed Police Battalions
  • Kerala Coastal Police
  • State Crime Records Bureau
  • Protection of Civil Rights
  • Kerala Police Cyber Division
  • Traffic and Road Safety Management
  • Administration (HQ)
Specialized Units
List
  • Highway Police
  • Tourism Police
  • Traffic Enforcement Unit
  • Railway Police
  • Mounted Police
  • Coastal Police
  • Temple Police
  • Cyber Division
  • Forensic Division
  • Women Cell
  • Pink Patrol
  • Police Telecommunication
  • Police Motor Transport Wing
  • K9 Squad
  • High-Tech Crime Cell
  • Anti-Terrorism Squad
  • Special Operation Group
  • BDDS
  • DANSAF
Facilities
Police Stations564 (as of 2021)
List
  • Local: 484
  • Women's: 14
  • Railways: 13
  • Coastal: 18
  • Cyber Crime: 19
  • Crime Branch: 1
  • ATS: 1
Police vehicles
Dogs82 (41 Sniffer Dogs)
Horses25
Notables
Programme
Website
keralapolice.gov.in

The Kerala Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Kerala. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The motto of the force is "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye" which means "Soft in Temperament, Firm in Action" in Sanskrit. It operates under the administrative control of the Home Department, Government of Kerala. The force is headed by the Director General of Police-cum-State Police Chief, and the incumbent chief is Ravada A Chandrasekhar, IPS.

Kerala Police has a reputation for being one of the best-managed state police forces in the nation, and the state ranks among the top states for maintaining law and order. One of the first police forces in South Asia to put community policing into practise is Kerala Police, which was one of the first to do so through legislation. The term "Janamaithri" Policing, which means "people-friendly Policing," is used to refer to it.

According to the data from Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), there are a total of 564 police stations in Kerala. Among them, 484 police stations deal with local law enforcement, while the remaining 80 are specialised for specific purposes. Out of these, 382 police stations are located in rural areas, while 102 police stations are located in urban areas. The specialized police stations include 14 women's police stations, 13 railway police stations, 18 coastal police stations, 19 cybercrime police stations, 1 crime branch police station, and 1 ATS police station.

The rural police stations account for the majority of police stations in Kerala, constituting approximately 68% of the total. The urban police stations account for about 18% of the total, while the special purpose police stations account for about 14% of the total.