History

The Indian Police Medal was established by Royal Warrant in 1932 in order to fill the gap left by the regulations of the King’s Police Medal. The Medal was awarded after the declaration of Indian independence in 1947 but was permanently discontinued when the Indian Republic was established in 1950 and replaced by the new Police Medal.

The Bronze Medal was awarded to members of Indian police forces or fire brigades in recognition of acts of bravery performed during service or long and meritorious service. The annual contingent was originally limited to 200 recipients, but after 1942 it was extended to a maximum of 250 recipients in exceptional circumstances. The Medal could be awarded multiple times to the same recipient in which case a bar clasp was worn on the ribbon to denote each additional award. Recipients who received the medal in recognition of gallantry were entitled to a monetary award.

There are multiple versions of the medal that differ in the obverse engraving and the obverse and reverse inscription. From 1932-1944 medals were identical regardless of the acts that they recognized. After 1944, the reverse specified whether it was awarded in recognition of gallantry or meritorious service. All medals were issued named.

There may be additional versions that differ in size.