The motto of the force is "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye" which means "Soft in Temperament, Firm in Action" in Sanskrit.

[8] Among them, 484 police stations deal with local law enforcement, while the remaining 80 are specialised for specific purposes.

After the integration of the princely states of Travancore and Cochin, the present-day Kerala Police was formed in 1956.

State Police Chief is designated as the Head of the department for all administrative and operational purposes.

Kerala has 484 local police stations that handle routine law enforcement and investigations.

At the police station level, there are typically two wings: the law and order and the crime investigation.

These are headed by a sub-inspector of police (SIs) who oversees the respective functions of maintaining public order and conducting criminal investigations within the station's jurisdiction.

Kerala Police Non Gazetted Officers Insignia Two Stars on blue background indicates IGP Rank.

The Crime Branch has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram and headed by an officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP).

Crime Branch investigates cases that are entrusted to it by the State Police Chief or the Government or the High Court of Kerala.

The State Special Branch has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram and headed by an officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP).

The State Special Branch (SSB) is primarily concerned with the collection, collation and dissemination of intelligence on and about various political, communal, terrorist, national security, and labour activities and with relation to various law and order issues like agitations, strikes, demonstrations, protests, etc.

This wing is headed by an officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP APBn).

[31] Malabar Special Police is the oldest paramilitary force of India after Assam Rifles.

Tourism Police wing has been functioning in the state for maintaining law and order, preventing attack and harassment on tourists.

[32] The uniform of Tourism Police Officers is sky blue shirt and khakee pants.

[33] Coastal Police Stations handle the security of the coasts and carry out the patrolling in the sea up to 12 nautical miles.

They are located in the main Railway station premises at Trivandrum Central, Parassala, Kollam, Punalur, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam Junction, Thrissur, Shornur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod.

[36] Highway Police focus on traffic enforcement to prevent road accidents and assist victims.

At present a total of 56 Highway Police Patrols are functioning along all the important Roads in Kerala.

The main objectives the territorial jurisdiction of the police district, previously sagainst women and children.

The Pink patrol vehicles are fitted with GPS and other smart equipments for faster response and assistance as well as has on-board cameras and scanning systems to identify potential offenders.

The District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) functions as the operational arm of the narcotic cells.

Thunderbolts are a form of SPG and NSG, which are trained to take on air, water and land attacks.

The Special Operations Group (SOG) is an elite police unit of the Kerala Police, Primarily tasked with counter left-wing extremism operations, the SOG focuses on neutralizing Left-wing extremism, including Maoist activities.

The SOG primarily operates in districts with a history of Left-wing extremism, such as Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad,etc.

One-third of the total IPS strength in Kerala is reserved for KPS officers (SPS quota).

Recruitment to the post of Sub Inspector (General Executive) is done through direct and indirect means in the ratio of 1:1.

There is a regular line of promotion based on arising vacancies, contingent on factors such as seniority and eligibility.

[61][62] Police allowed counter-protesters—who included members of Shiv Sena, SDPI, and Bajrang Dal—to attack the protest.