UK police ranks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Most of the police forces of the United Kingdom use a standard set of ranks, shown here in descending seniority from left to right. Badges of rank are usually worn on the epaulettes, although sergeants wear their stripes on their upper sleeves in formal uniform. The police forces of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar use virtually identical ranks.
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| Chief Constable | Deputy Chief Constable |
Assistant Chief Constable |
Chief Superintendent |
Superintendent | Chief Inspector | Inspector | Sergeant | Police Constable |
All territorial forces in the United Kingdom apart from the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police use all of these ranks (although the Police Service of Northern Ireland uses different insignia which does not incorporate the crown), as do the British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence Police. Smaller specialist forces and forces outside the United Kingdom have fewer ranks.
The Chief Constable is the head of each police force. Ranks above Chief Superintendent are usually non-operational management roles, and are often referred to as "Chief Officer" ranks. In Britain the Chief Constable is the title of the head of all British territorial police forces except the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police, which are headed by Commissioners.
Epaulettes are normally black with white or silver insignia as shown above, although for High Visibility Uniform, they are often yellow with black insignia.
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[edit] Powers
In law, every member of a police force is a constable whatever their actual rank. The basic police powers of arrest and search of an ordinary Constable are identical to those of a Superintendent or Chief Constable; however certain higher ranks are given administrative powers to authorise certain police actions. These include the powers to extend the length of prisoner detention to 36 hours (granted to Superintendents), or to authorise section 18 (1) PACE house searches (granted to Inspectors), or to authorise the continued detention of of up to 24 hours of a person arrested for an offence and brought to a police station (granted to sergeants).
In relation to police officers of the Home Office or territorial police forces of England and Wales, Section 30 of the Police Act 1996 states that "a member of a police force shall have all the powers and privileges of a constable throughout England and Wales and the adjacent United Kingdom waters". Police officers do not need to be on duty to exercise their powers and can act off duty if circumstances require it (technically placing themselves back on duty). Officers from other police forces of Scotland, Northern Ireland, those non-territorial special police forces have different jurisdictions. See List of police forces in the United Kingdom for a fuller description of jurisdictions.
[edit] Detectives
Officers holding ranks up to and including Chief Superintendent who are members of the Criminal Investigation Department or Special Branch (and certain other units) have the prefix "Detective" before their rank. Due to the nature of their duties these officers generally wear plain clothes and so do not wear the corresponding rank insignia. However, they still operate within the same structure as other officers. It is a misconception often portrayed by the media that detective ranks are superior to those of uniformed officers. In the United Kingdom this is not the case, and a Detective Sergeant has the same powers and authority as a uniformed Sergeant. Indeed, in terms of law, a uniformed Sergeant actually has far more police powers available due to custody and traffic legislation requiring the officer to be in uniform. The "Detective" prefix merely designates that the officer has received extra training and has certain skills in terms of investigation.
[edit] Variations
[edit] Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police has a different ranking system above Chief Superintendent:
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| Commissioner | Deputy Commissioner |
Assistant Commissioner |
Deputy Assistant Commissioner |
Commander | Chief Superintendent |
Superintendent | Chief Inspector | Inspector | Sergeant | Police Constable |
[edit] City of London Police
The City of London Police has a different ranking system above Chief Superintendent:
- Commander (Cmdr)
- Assistant Commissioner (AC)
- Commissioner
[edit] Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was headed by an Inspector-General until 1969, when it fully adopted the rank system used elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
[edit] Isle of Man Constabulary
The Isle of Man Constabulary has a variation above Superintendent:
[edit] Special Constables
A Special Constable is a volunteer police officer, with the same powers as a regular officer. The main role of a "special" is to work with the local constabulary to provide an additional and heightened police presence on the streets and in the local community. They may also be requested to police particular events such as football matches and community events.
In the special constabulary, there are various grades which assist in the tasking and management of the constabulary. The persons holding these grades have no additional power within law and are "outranked" by any regular officer. Most forces use a rank system of bars, shown below in descending order from left to right. Special constabulary epaulettes frequently bear the letters "SC" (often below a crown) to differentiate them from regular officers.
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[edit] Metropolitan Special Constabulary
The Metropolitan Special Constabulary uses the following grades (in increasing order of seniority):
- Special Constable (SC logo, borough code and shoulder number)
- Special Sergeant (SC logo, borough code, shoulder number and one bar)
- Special Inspector (SC logo, two bars)
- Assistant Chief Officer (SC logo, three bars)
- Chief Officer (SC logo, four bars)
[edit] Thames Valley Special Constabulary
The Thames Valley Special Constabulary uses the following grades (in increasing order of seniority): [1]:
- Special Constable (SC logo and shoulder number)
- Special Sergeant (SC logo, one bar and shoulder number)
- Special Inspector (SC logo, two bars)
- Special Chief Inspector (SC logo, three bars)
- Assistant Chief Officer (laurel wreath with two bars inside)
- Chief Officer (laurel wreath with four bars inside)
[edit] Warwickshire Police Special Constabulary
The Warwickshire Police Special Constabulary uses the following grades (in increasing order of seniority; the SC logo incorporates a crown):
- Special Constable (SC logo and collar number)
- Section Officer (SC logo, one bar and collar number)
- Area Officer (SC logo, two bars)
- Senior Area Officer (SC logo, three bars)
- Deputy Chief Officer (SC logo, laurel wreath with two bars inside; three bars until 2006)
- Chief Officer (SC logo, laurel wreath with four bars inside; four bars until 2006)
[edit] Community Support Officers
Police Community Support Officers do not have a rank system: their epaulettes simply bear the words POLICE COMMUNITY SUPPORT OFFICER and their shoulder number, or in the Metropolitan Police, a borough code and shoulder number.
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[edit] Traffic Wardens
Traffic Wardens are administered by the police and exercise some police powers to control traffic or issue Fixed Penalty Notices for traffic offences; their epaulettes bear their shoulder number and the words TRAFFIC WARDEN. They are not to be confused with local authority "Parking Attendants" whose powers are generally limited to issuing Fixed Penalty Notices for breaches of parking laws on highways or in local authority car parks and compelling the production of a Disabled parking permit (Blue Badge) for inspection.
