Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur (Dist. Jalandhar) was popularly known as Maharaja Ranjit Singh (M.R.S ) Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur established in 1861 but came into existence on 9th September 1891 which was established by Mughal Empire Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Ever since its inception in the year 1891 as Police Training School,  and then as Police Training College and now as Punjab Police Academy.

The college is affiliated with Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar in 1996 and it is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under section 2(f) & 12(B) under Act, 1956 & Govt. of Punjab.

It is a premier institution has always endeavored to uphold a rich heritage of values and traditions for which it is known the world over.

The aim of the college was to prepare police personnel to take on new challenges being confronted by them in the ever-changing social scenario.

It is an institution to prepare excellent police officers and officials for the Punjab police and the police of the other states. The PPA, Phillaur stresses input on the higher education, technological advancement, and human rights sensitivity of the police.

It was a co-educational government Institute, provided a regular course in which is located in the urban part of Jalandhar played a pioneering role in the field of higher education.

The History of the Punjab Police Academy :

Prior to the enactment of the Police Act of 1861, the Punjab  Police was known as “Military Police Force”. It consisted of 8100 men. out of these, 5400 were infantry divided into six Battalions and the remaining 2,700 were the cavalry.
 
The Punjab, the sword-arm of India, however, needed a superior force for its internal administration. The Police Act of 1861 came into force in Punjab with effect from the 1st January 1890.
 
Mughal Empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh sent  Dewan Mohkam Chand, about the year 1809, to take possession of the Imperial Serai and converted it into a formidable Fort with the help of his French and Italian officers, namely Generals Ventura, Allard, and Avitabile.

 
It was built in reply to the  British who had built a small  Fort at Ludhiana on the remnants said to be of an old Lodhi Fort, and to guard the ferry of Phillaur. The British occupied this Fort in 1846 after the Sikhs were defeated in the battle of Aliwal. 
 
Phillaur thereafter became a Cantonment and Fort remained under the charge of Army authorities till 1890 when it was handed over to the Civil authorities and has been used thereafter for police training purposes. 
 
Later the fort was renamed as Maharaja Ranjit Singh Fort by the Punjab Government by a notification dated 6th April 1973.
 
The Police Training School was established in the Phillaur Fort by a Home Department notification dated the 9th  September 1891 with a meager staff under Mr. J.M. Bishop, I.P. Assistant District Superintendent of Police.
 
The School started functioning with effect from the 1st January 1892. Thus Punjab became the first state in the country to establish such a school. 
 
Most of the other training schools were set up after the report of the Police Commission appointed in 1902 by Lord Curzon. Thus, it is the oldest police training institution in the country.
 
The school was created to cater to the training requirements of officers and men from North-Western Frontier Province, Punjab & erstwhile Princely States. The officers selected in the Indian Police were also given training in this institution and set high standards of discipline in the school.
 
The school was upgraded as a Zonal College in 1967 with Mr. B.S. Danewalia, IPS as the first Principal in the rank of a DIG. The institution is now around 120 years old.
 
In Punjab Police Academy there were many academic centers was in held up in one campus i.e Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, Police Training School, Police Training College (PTC) & present new academic look was added in April 1995 was Punjab Police Academy (PPA).

The college caters to the training facilities of not only Punjab but also for as many as 12 other Indian states and union territories as well as central police organizations. The countries of Bhutan, Maldives, Afganistan, Palestine, etc. also send their police personnel for training here.
 
The Academy is in partnership with British and Ethiopian Police organizations in the fields of research, academics & specialized training.

The college also awarded and recognized for significant contribution in IT, Cyber Forensic Training & Photography, sports and curricular activities under Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

The college had created several Centers of Excellence, these centers are established with a view to strengthening teaching, research, consulting and community engagement. Each center is created around a contemporary management theme with the primary goal of creating, disseminating and applying knowledge.

At present, the college offers one-year Professional / Refresher Courses like Short Term Specialized Courses and Long-Term Specialized Courses,  also college offers one-year Training Courses like Attachment Training, Promotional Courses, and Basic Training Courses with various specializations underGuru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

The Academy is the first police training institution in the country which in collaboration with Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar started imparting the instruction of M.A., M.Phill and Ph.D. degree programmes in the discipline of Police Administration a feature which has been appreciated at National and International levels.

Mission:

• To prepare police officials for the Punjab Police and other states, who will lead and command the force with courage, uprightness, dedication and a strong sense of service to the people, through an emphasis on higher education, technological advancement, and human rights