Sujeet Pandey Named New Director, SVPNPA

Sujeet Pandey, a 1994-batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has been appointed Director of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), with tenure up to July 31, 2028, his date of superannuation. Pandey was presently working in his home cadre before the appointment.

SVPNPA, located in Hyderabad, is the country's central training institution for IPS probationers, responsible for the foundational training that shapes new entrants to the Indian Police Service before they are posted to their respective cadres. The Director's post carries responsibility for the academy's training curriculum, physical and tactical instruction standards, and coordination with state police training academies on shared modules.

Pandey's appointment comes soon after his predecessor, Amit Garg, moved to head the National Crime Records Bureau, creating a near-simultaneous leadership transition at the academy. As a 1994-batch officer with three decades of service in Uttar Pradesh, Pandey takes charge of an institution that trains several hundred probationers annually across multiple foundation courses.

Beyond the basic foundation course for new IPS entrants, SVPNPA also runs mid-career training programmes for serving officers, in-service courses in specialised areas such as cybercrime investigation, and joint training modules with counterparts from other central police organisations. The academy's outcomes are closely watched by state police departments, since the foundational training it provides shapes how incoming officers approach field postings once they reach their home cadres.

The academy has in recent years been updating its curriculum to reflect new criminal law codes and forensic science requirements, a process Pandey will be expected to continue overseeing during his tenure. His appointment runs until his superannuation date of July 31, 2028, giving him roughly two years in the post.