A Crime Investigation Department (CID) or Crime Branch is a branch of the state police departments of India responsible for the investigation of crime, based on the Criminal Investigation Departments of British police forces. It's the specialised investigation wing of the state police, and headed by an officer of the rank of Director General of Police or Additional Director General of Police (ADGP).
The first CID was created by the British Government in 1902, based on the recommendations of the Indian Police Commission, chaired by Andrew Fraser.[1] At the entrance of the CID office at Gokhale Marg, Lucknow, there is a portrait of Rai Bahadur Pandit Shambhu Nath, King's Police Medalist (KPM) "Father of Indian CID".[2] [3] In 1929, the CID was split into Special Branch, CID and the Crime Branch (CB-CID).
Some states use different names for their CID units, despite the fact that many states use the term "Criminal Investigation Department”. In Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the CID is known as the Crime Investigation Department. In Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir, it is known as the Criminal Investigation Department. In Delhi and Kerala, the CID is referred to as the Crime Branch, and in Tamil Nadu, it is known as the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID).[4] [5] In Punjab, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is known as the Punjab Bureau of Investigation (PBI or BoI).[6] [7]
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is headed by an officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police. The CID or Crime Branch has its own ranks up to the level of Additional Director General of Police, just as its counterparts in the law and order police. Senior officers in the Crime Branch include superintendents, deputy superintendents, inspectors, and sub-inspectors. In general, officers and men assigned to this wing prefix "detective" before their regular police rank.[8]
A CID may have several branches from state to state. These branches include:[9]
CB-CID is a special wing in a CID headed by the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) and assisted by the Inspector General of Police (IGP). This branch investigates serious crimes including murder, riot, forgery, counterfeiting and cases entrusted to CB-CID by the state government or the High Court.[10]
Based on Mumbai's branch, a television series CID aired on Sony TV with a successful run of 20 years.