Crime Branch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Plain clothes" redirects here. For the form of dress, see plain dress. For the 1988 film Plain Clothes, see Plain Clothes.

Crime Branch CID (Criminal Investigation Department) is a specialised wing in many state police forces in India. Personnel attached to this wing essentially work in plain clothes or Mufti.

Like their counterparts in the Law and Order police, Crime Branch has its own ranks right up to the level of Additional Director General of Police. Crime Branch has senior officers like Superindentents, Inspectors, Sub Inspectors and the constabulary. Officers and men attached to this wing generally add the prefix 'Detective' before their regular rank (for eg: Detective Inspector).

Crime Branch's tasks are to investigate criminal cases, which spans across multiple districts or even states. The CB CID may also take up complicated cases like circulation of counterfiet currency, or very complicated murder cases. The local police along with their normal duties, would find it tough to allott men to these complicated cases. Crime Branch investigation is ordered either by a judicial court, by the Director General of Police, or the government.

Crime Branch officers can be transferred to the law and order police, and also vice versa. Crime Branch is different from Crime Detachment or Crime Squad. Crime Detachment and Crime Squads, are a group of regular law and order police men (who generally would wear the uniform) specifically detailed by the Police Inspector to work in plain clothes to keep a tab on local hoodlums, prostitutes, petty thiefs and other habitual offenders.

[edit] References

This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.