Chennai is policed by three separate commissionerates, not one. Greater Chennai Police covers the core city, while the Avadi and Tambaram commissionerates, both formed on 1 January 2022, cover the fast-growing western and southern suburbs. Which one you deal with depends on where you live, not on your Corporation ward, so a family in Pallikaranai and a family in Mylapore may both say they live “in Chennai” and still report to different police chiefs.
The map changed again this year. On 3 September 2026, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay told the Assembly that each suburban commissionerate would get a new police district, DT Next reported. Here is how the pieces fit, and how to find the station that has jurisdiction over your street.
Greater Chennai Police: the city force
Greater Chennai Police is headed by an officer of Director General of Police rank who serves as Commissioner. The state’s 2023-24 police policy note describes a command team of 5 Additional Commissioners, 7 Joint Commissioners and 31 Deputy Commissioners. Under them the note counts:
- 102 law and order police stations
- 37 All Women Police Stations
- 56 traffic police stations
- 24 special units, with 23,791 personnel in all
The city is divided into four zones, each led by an officer of Inspector General rank, according to the 2022-23 policy note, which also set up a cyber crime police station in each zone. Zones are split into police districts, each under a Deputy Commissioner. A state notification of August 2026, which set up anti-narcotics police stations across Tamil Nadu, lists twelve units for Chennai City named after these districts: Flower Bazaar, Washermenpet, Pulianthoppu, Anna Nagar, Kolathur, Koyambedu, Kilpauk, Triplicane, Mylapore, St. Thomas Mount, Adyar and T. Nagar (Gazette No. 344).
Traffic policing runs as a separate wing with its own stations, which is why a road accident case may sit with a traffic investigation station rather than your local station.
Avadi and Tambaram commissionerates
Both suburban commissionerates were created when the old Chennai force was split three ways. Avadi took stations from Tiruvallur district, and Tambaram took stations from Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram districts, along with more than a dozen stations transferred from Greater Chennai Police, DT Next reported. The 2023-24 policy note gives their size:
| Commissionerate | Police stations | Traffic stations | All Women stations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avadi | 25 | 8 | 5 |
| Tambaram | 20 | 16 | 3 |
Each began with two police districts. The August 2026 gazette names them through the anti-narcotics units: Avadi and Redhills for the Avadi commissionerate, and Tambaram and Pallikaranai for Tambaram.
What changed in September 2026
The Chief Minister announced the changes during the Assembly debate on the Home department’s demands for grants. In the Avadi commissionerate, the Avadi police district will be split to create a new Poonamallee district, and the Poonamallee range will be split to form a Thirumazhisai range. In Tambaram, the Tambaram district will be split to create a Kilambakkam district, and the Guduvanchery range split to form a Kilambakkam range. An official note cited rapid urbanisation and rising population density.
The announcement did not list which stations move into the new districts. Until officers are posted and the boundaries are notified, keep using the station you already know. A district change mostly affects who supervises a station, not where you walk in to file a complaint.
How to find your police station
Jurisdiction follows the place where something happened, not where you live. A theft on a train platform, a crash on a highway and a dispute at home may each belong to a different station. These are the practical ways to check:
- Ask the nearest station anyway. Any station must accept information about a cognisable offence and can transfer it, so do not delay an emergency while you work out boundaries.
- Use the state police portal. The Tamil Nadu Police citizen portal at eservices.tnpolice.gov.in handles online complaints, complaint status, CSR and FIR status, lost document reports and accident documents, as the Tirunelveli district site lists. Your complaint is routed to the station concerned.
- Use an e-Sevai centre. The state IT department’s service list shows ₹20 for registering an online police complaint and ₹10 each for checking CSR or FIR status.
- Call 100 or 112 in an emergency. The control room dispatches the station that covers your location.
If you are close to a commissionerate border, such as Porur, Velachery, Perungudi, Madhavaram or Ambattur, double-check before filing a written complaint. The status page will show which station holds it.
Quick answers
How many police commissionerates cover Chennai?
Three: Greater Chennai Police, Avadi and Tambaram. The last two were formed on 1 January 2022.
Which new police districts were announced in 2026?
Poonamallee, carved out of the Avadi district, and Kilambakkam, carved out of the Tambaram district, along with new Thirumazhisai and Kilambakkam ranges.
Can I go to any police station to report a crime?
Yes. For a cognisable offence a station must register the information even if the crime happened elsewhere, and then transfer it. This is known as a Zero FIR.
How many police stations does Greater Chennai Police have?
The 2023-24 policy note lists 102 law and order stations, 37 All Women Police Stations and 56 traffic stations.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Policy Note 2023-24, Police (Home, Prohibition and Excise Department, Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Policy Note 2022-23, Police (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- G.O. Ms. No. 50, Anti-Narcotics Task Force units declared police stations, Gazette Extraordinary No. 344, 10 August 2026 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- CM Vijay announces new police districts for Avadi, Tambaram Commissionerates (DT Next)
- Tamil Nadu Police Citizen Portal (Tirunelveli district, Government of Tamil Nadu)
- e-Sevai services and charges (Tamil Nadu IT Department)
