LUCKNOW: Ending nearly four years of uncertainty at the top of the state’s police hierarchy, the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday appointed 1991 batch IPS Rajeev Krishna as the state’s new Director General of Police (DGP), making him the first permanent police chief since 2022. Krishna who had succeeded Prashant Kumar as acting DGP last year in May 2025, will now head the country’s largest police force with nearly three years of service remaining before his retirement in June 2029.Krishna , who is also currently serving as Director General of Vigilance Establishment.His appointment marks the end of a prolonged phase during which Uttar Pradesh functioned without a permanent police chief. The last regular DGP was Mukul Goel, who was removed from the post in 2022. Since then, the state has seen four acting police chiefs—D S Chauhan, R K Vishwakarma, Vijay Kumar and Prashant Kumar. Following the cancellation of the constable recruitment examination amid allegations of a paper leak in 2024, he was entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the fresh recruitment process. Under his supervision, more than 60,000 constables were recruited through a process that was largely praised for transparency, efficiency and strict monitoring.Over a career spanning more than three decades, Krishna has held several key operational and leadership positions. He has served as Superintendent of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police in districts including Mathura, Etawah, Agra, Noida and Lucknow. He also headed the Uttar Pradesh Police Academy, where he played a significant role in training and mentoring young officers.Krishna is credited with establishing the foundation of the state’s anti-terror infrastructure as the founding chief of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad. His tenure helped shape the agency’s operational framework and counter-terror capabilities.At the national level, he served as Inspector General (Operations) in the Border Security Force, overseeing operations along both the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders. During this period, he implemented sensor-based surveillance systems under the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System, aimed at strengthening border security and operational efficiency.Known within police circles for promoting technology-driven policing, Krishna has introduced several innovations during his field postings. As ADG Agra Zone, he launched Operation Pehchaan, a mobile-based platform designed to identify and track repeat offenders. He also pushed for digitisation initiatives such as e-Malkhana for managing case property records and strengthened online monitoring mechanisms for women’s beat policing and Anti-Romeo squads.He has also been associated with efforts to enhance cybercrime prevention and investigation capabilities through public awareness campaigns and specialised training programmes for police personnel.Born in Lucknow on June 20, 1969, Krishna holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. After clearing the Civil Services Examination in 1991, he joined the Indian Police Service and went on to build a reputation as a professional officer with a clean image and strong operational credentials. One of the youngest IPS officers in the state. One of the defining phases of his career came in 2004 as SSP Agra, when he led a series of operations against notorious kidnapping gangs operating in the ravines of western Uttar Pradesh.With law and order, cybercrime, organised crime and police modernisation emerging as major challenges for the state, Krishna’s appointment is expected to provide continuity and stability to the Uttar Pradesh Police leadership. His selection is also being viewed as a signal that the government intends to deepen technology-led policing reforms while strengthening the force’s professional image and operational effectiveness.