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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. A Police Constable of West Yorkshire Police on patrol The United Kingdom is a unitary (as opposed to federal) state, and police forces, generally speaking, are organised at the level of administrative districts. ...
Epaulette pronunciation: Ä•p-Ç-lÄ•t, a French word meaning little shoulders (epaule, referring to shoulder), originally meant only one type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia or rank by military or other organizations. ...
The Channel Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Normandy, France, in the English Channel. ...
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. Image File history File links UKMetAC.gif‎ File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links UKMetDAC.gif‎ File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links UKMetCommander. ...
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Image File history File links UKPoliceSuper. ...
Image File history File links UKPoliceChiefInspector. ...
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Chief Constable is the title given to the commanding officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except the two responsible for Greater London. ...
The rank of deputy chief constable has gone through several changes in the last twenty years. ...
There are normally between one and four assistant chief constables in British police forces, depending upon force size and whether or not civilians have been appointed at chief officer level. ...
Chief Superintendent (Ch Supt/CSP; colloquially Chief Super) is a senior rank in the Police Forces. ...
Superintendent (Supt. ...
Chief Inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank in British Police forces. ...
Inspector is a rank in many police forces. ...
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ...
For the painter see John Constable. ...
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI, Irish: ) is the police service that covers Northern Ireland. ...
The British Transport Police (BTP) is a non-Home Office national police service responsible for policing the railway system throughout Great Britain. ...
The Ministry of Defence Police (or MOD Police; MDP) is a non-Home Office police force in the United Kingdom. ...
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. Chief Constable is the title given to the commanding officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except the two responsible for Greater London. ...
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is the Home Office police force responsible for Greater London, with the exception of the square mile of the City of London. ...
City Police Mounted Section officer The City of London Police is the Home Office police force responsible for the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temple. ...
Commissioner is a designation that may be used for a variety of official positions, especially referring to a high-ranking public (administrative or police) official, or an analogous official in the private sector (e. ...
Epaulettes are normally black with white or silver insignia as shown above, although for High Visibility Uniform, they are often yellow with black insignia.
Powers
Every officer still only has the powers of constable, no matter what their rank. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has exactly the same police powers as an ordinary constable. Section 30 of the Police Act 1996 says 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". Constables have identical powers whether on or off duty, since as soon as they exercise their powers they technically come on duty. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (usually just referred to as the Metropolitan Police Commissioner or, more colloquially, as the Met Commissioner) is the head of the Metropolitan Police Service in London. ...
Higher ranking officers have certain extra powers to authorise activities. 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). The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) (1984 c. ...
Detectives Officers holding ranks up to and including Chief Superintendent who are members of the Criminal Investigation Department or Special Branch have the prefix Detective before their rank. Due to the nature of their duties these officers generally wear plainclothes and so do not wear the corresponding rank insignia. However they still operate within the same structure as other officers. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of all British Police forces to which plain clothes detectives belong. ...
Special Branch is the arm of the British, Irish and many Commonwealth police forces that deals with national security matters. ...
A detective (also commonly called a dick or gumshoe) is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. ...
Variations
Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police has a different ranking system above Chief Superintendent: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is the Home Office police force responsible for Greater London, with the exception of the square mile of the City of London. ...
Image File history File links UKMetDC.gif‎ File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links UKMetAC.gif‎ File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links UKMetDAC.gif‎ File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links UKMetCommander. ...
Image File history File links UKPoliceChiefSuper2. ...
Image File history File links UKPoliceSuper. ...
Image File history File links UKPoliceChiefInspector. ...
Image File history File links UKPoliceInspector. ...
Image File history File links UKPoliceSarg. ...
Image File history File links UKPoliceConstable. ...
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (usually just referred to as the Metropolitan Police Commissioner or, more colloquially, as the Met Commissioner) is the head of the Metropolitan Police Service in London. ...
The Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (usually just called the Deputy Commissioner) is the second-in-command of the London Metropolitan Police, ranking below the Commissioner and above the Assistant Commissioners. ...
Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, usually just called Assistant Commissioner (AC), is today the third highest rank in the London Metropolitan Police, ranking below Deputy Commissioner and above Deputy Assistant Commissioner. ...
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (usually just referred to as the Metropolitan Police Commissioner or, more colloquially, as the Met Commissioner) is the head of the Metropolitan Police Service in London. ...
Insignia of a United States Navy Commander Commander is a military rank used in many navies but not generally in armies or air forces. ...
Chief Superintendent (Ch Supt/CSP; colloquially Chief Super) is a senior rank in the Police Forces. ...
Superintendent (Supt. ...
Chief Inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank in British Police forces. ...
Inspector is a rank in many police forces. ...
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ...
For the painter see John Constable. ...
City of London Police The City of London Police has a different ranking system above Chief Superintendent: City Police Mounted Section officer The City of London Police is the Home Office police force responsible for the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temple. ...
Insignia of a United States Navy Commander Commander is a military rank used in many navies but not generally in armies or air forces. ...
Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, usually just called Assistant Commissioner (AC), is today the third highest rank in the London Metropolitan Police, ranking below Deputy Commissioner and above Deputy Assistant Commissioner. ...
Commissioner is a designation that may be used for a variety of official positions, especially referring to a high-ranking public (administrative or police) official, or an analogous official in the private sector (e. ...
Isle of Man Constabulary The Isle of Man Constabulary has a variation above Superintendent: The Isle of Man Constabulary is the organisation responsible for policing the Isle of Man, an island of 70,000 situated equidistant of Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England. ...
The rank of deputy chief constable has gone through several changes in the last twenty years. ...
Chief Constable is the title given to the commanding officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except the two responsible for Greater London. ...
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. The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ...
In a civilian or military administration, an Inspector General is a high ranking official charged with the mission to inspect and report on some bodies in his field of competency. ...
Special Constables A Special Constable is a volunteer police officer, with the same powers as a regular officer, but with the jurisdiction of these powers generally being limited to within the police force area they work for and the next adjacent police force area(s). The main role of a "special" is to work with the local constabulary to provide a 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. The Special Constabulary is the auxiliary wing of the British police. ...
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.
Image File history File links Uk-police-essex-sc_05. ...
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Metropolitan Special Constabulary The Metropolitan Special Constabulary uses the following grades (in increasing order of seniority): Metropolitan Police redirects here. ...
- 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)
Thames Valley Special Constabulary The Thames Valley Special Constabulary uses the following grades (in increasing order of seniority): [1]: Thames Valley Police is one of the largest Home Office police services in England and the largest non-metropolitan one, covering 2200 sq mi (5,700 km²) and a population of 2. ...
- 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)
Warwickshire Police Special Constabulary The Warwickshire Police Special Constabulary uses the following grades (in increasing order of seniority; the SC logo incorporates a crown): Warwickshire Police is the police force which polices Warwickshire in England. ...
- 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)
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. PCSOs working in Bexley A Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) is a uniformed civilian working with the police in the United Kingdom. ...
Traffic Wardens Traffic Wardens (also known as Parking Attendants if council-run) are sometimes administered by the police and sometimes the local council. If run by the police, their epaulettes bear their shoulder number and the words TRAFFIC WARDEN. A parking attendant vehicle in San Francisco A parking attendant is a member of a traffic control deparment or organization who issues tickets for parking violations. ...
External links - Ranks of the Metropolitan Police
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