C Pal Singh PPM, IPM
Inspector General of Police (Retd) · Founding Chief, Rapid Action Force
Police Career
Masters in English literature — Mr. C. Pal Singh has served in various states of India on senior police appointments. He served as Inspector General of Police, Punjab, and was subsequently made responsible by the Government of India to raise a new force — the Rapid Action Force — to deal with communal riots. He was appointed the first Chief of this elite police force in India.
He also raised and then headed the Internal Security Academy — a central police academy at Mount Abu (Rajasthan) — meant to train senior administrators, police officers and the higher echelons of public and private sector undertakings on the subject of internal security and law and order.
During his long years of a police career he achieved laurels for his excellence and outstanding performance. He was responsible for dealing with terrorism in the state of Punjab. His handling of ethnic insurgency in the North-Eastern states of India and terrorist movements in other states has won him a name in the country.
Honours & Awards
In recognition of his outstanding performance during his service career, he was decorated with:
- President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Services
- Indian Police Medal for Meritorious Services
- Police Special Duty Medal with Bar
- Sena Medal — and a number of other commendations and rewards
After retirement, he has been conferred the following prestigious awards:
- Security Personality of the Year — presented by the President of India at the Global Security Conference, Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi (2009)
- Dronacharya Award — by the Home Minister of India at the International Security Summit (2011)
- Scroll of Honour — by H.E. the Governor of Punjab at the International Security Conference (2012)
- Lifetime Achievement Award — Asian Professional Security Association (HQ Bangkok)
- Police Excellence — Lifetime Achievement Award at the International Police Expo and Seminar (2018)
Shaping the Private Security Industry
He was involved in developing the curriculum for security guards’ training under the Security Sector Skill Development Corporation, and has been a driving force in starting up-skilling and training courses in the private security industry. As head of the committee, he designed and worked out National Occupational Standards for the training of private security guards, the qualification pack, and NOS for firefighters.
Present Roles
- Advisor, Asian Professional Security Association (APSA) — India Chapter
- Honorary Director General, Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) — India
- Association of Private Detectives & Investigators (APDI) — India
- President, CWD (Children of the World — under the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare)
He is actively associated with charitable institutes and trusts. C. Pal Singh’s face is well known in the country as a dynamic security professional who has appeared in a number of interviews on national television channels. His publications, press briefings and interviews have always received wide coverage in the media.