(1) There shall be for each area to be specified by the State Government in this behalf a special police officer appointed by or on behalf of that Government, for dealing with offences under this Act in that area.
     ¹[(2) The special police officer shall not be below the rank of an Inspector of Police.
     (2A) The District Magistrate may, if he considers it necessary or expedient so to do, confer upon any retired police or military officer all or any of the powers conferred by or under this Act on a special police officer, with respect to particular cases or classes of cases or to cases generally:
     Provided that no such power shall be conferred on,--
         (a) a retired police officer unless such officer, at the time of his retirement, was holding a post not below the rank of an inspector;
         (b) a retired military officer unless such officer, at the time of his retirement, was holding a post not below the rank of a commissioned officer.]
     (3) For the efficient discharge of his functions in relation to offences under this Act,--
         (a) the special police officer of an area shall be assisted by such number of subordinate police officers (including women police officers wherever practicable) as the State Government may think fit; and
         (b) the State Government may associate with the special police officer a non-official advisory body consisting of not more than five leading social welfare workers of that area (including women social welfare workers wherever practicable) to advise him on questions of general importance regarding the working of this Act.
    ²[(4) The Central Government may, for the purpose of investigating any offence under this Act or under any other law for the time being in force dealing with sexual exploitation of persons and committed in more than one State, a point such number of police officers as trafficking police officers and they shall exercise all the powers and discharge all the functions as are exercisable by special police officers under this Act with the modification that they shall exercise such powers and discharge such functions in relation to the whole of India.]