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.
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
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.
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).
[edit] 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.
[edit] Variations
[edit] Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police has a different ranking system above Chief Superintendent:
[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] Isle of Man Constabulary
The Isle of Man Constabulary has a variation above Superintendent:
[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] 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.
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.
[edit] 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.
