List of police ranks


Police ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships in police organizations. The rank system defines authority and responsibility in a police organization, and affects the culture within the police force. Police ranks, dependent on country, are similar to military ranks in function and design due to policing in many countries developing from military organizations and operations, such as in Western Europe, former Soviet countries, and English-speaking countries. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms.
Rank is not only used to designate leadership, but to establish pay-grade as well. As rank increases, pay-grade follows, but so does the amount of responsibility.

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Argentine Federal Police

;Officers
;Others

Buenos Aires Provincial Police

Armenia

Officers

Enlisted

Australia

;Example

Austria

;Commissioners
;Leading officers
;Supervising officers and police officers

Azerbaijan

;Officers
;Enlisted

Bangladesh

;Superior officers
;Subordinate officers

Belarus

Officers

Other

Belgium

Bermuda

Bolivia

;Officers
;Others

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Republika Srpska

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Ranks of the Botswana Police Service:
Brazil has several different police forces, each with its own ranks. At a federal level, there are the Federal Police, the Federal Highway Police, the Federal Railroad Police and the Federal Penal Police. At a state level, there are the Military Police, the Civil Police and the State Penal Police. At city level, there is the Municipal Guards.

Civil police

The Brazilian Civil Police rank follows, from higher to lower, as:
  • Comissário/Delegado
  • Escrivão
  • Agente/Investigador/Inspetor/Especialista
  • Perito criminal

    Military police

The following details the ranks of the military police, which are also used by the National Public Security Force.
The ranks are valid for the state military police agencies and are listed, respectively, from higher to lower ranks:
;Commanders
;Officers
;Student Officers
;Others
;Student NCOs

Brunei

;Gazetted officers
;Non gazetted officers

Bulgaria

;Officers
;Others

Canada

While some smaller or area specific police forces may use variations on, or fewer of, these ranks, most territorial police forces and special police forces have a standard set of operational ranks based on either of the two systems shown here:

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

;Officers
;Others

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary

Sûreté du Québec

Chad

;Officers
;Enlisted

Chile

These are the ranks used by Chilean police services.
Investigations Police of Chile
officers
  • Director general
  • Prefecto general
  • Prefecto inspector
  • Prefecto
  • Subprefecto
  • Comisario
  • Subcomisario
  • Inspector
  • Subinspector
  • Detective
  • Aspirante
Since 2017 this agency has rank insignia.

Carabineros de Chile

;Officers
;Non-commissioned officers and enlisted

China

People's Police

Chinese police officers use rank insignia on both side of shoulders on the duty uniform. Senior officers ranking at commissioner general and commissioner levels wear these on the white collar uniforms, and for supervisor level and below, officers wear them on the sky blue collar uniforms.
;Officers
;Others
In China, ranks can be separate from position, and according to Article 8 of the "", the following positions require an officer with the following ranks:
  • The person responsible for a Ministry level agency/unit of the People's Police has to be ranked Commissioner General
  • The person responsible for a deputy ministry level agency/unit of the People's Police has to be ranked Deputy Commissioner General
  • The person responsible for a Department level agency/unit of the People's police can be either ranked Commissioner First Class or Commissioner Second Class
  • The person responsible for a deputy department level agency/unit of the People's Police can either be a Commissioner Second Class or Commissioner Third Class
  • The person responsible for a division level agency/unit of the People's Police can be ranked between commissioner third class to supervisor second class
  • The person responsible for a deputy division level agency/unit can be ranked between Supervisor first class to supervisor third class
  • The person responsible for an office level agency/unit can be ranked between Supervisor 1st class to superintendent 1st class
  • The person responsible for a deputy office level agency/unit can be ranked between Supervisor 2nd class to Superintendent 2nd class
  • Police sergeants can be ranked between Supervisor 3rd class to Superintendent 3rd class
  • Police officers can be ranked between Superintendent 1st class to Constable 2nd class

    Auxiliary police (Sichuan)

People's Armed Police

The People's Armed Police, as part of the People's Liberation Army, uses the same ranks and uniform as the PLA itself.
;Officers
;Non-commissioned officers and men
Units of the China Coast Guard wear identical insignia as a part of the PAP.

Colombia

;Officers
;Non-commissioned officers and enlisted

Croatia

;Regular police ranks

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Officers

Others

Denmark

Estonia

Officers

Others

Egypt

;Officers
;Others

Ethiopia

The rank structure of the Ethiopian Federal Police is as follows:
  • Commissioner general
  • Deputy commissioner general
  • Commissioner
  • Deputy commissioner
  • Assistant commissioner
  • Commander
  • Deputy commander
  • Chief inspector
  • Inspector
  • Deputy inspector
  • Assistant inspector
  • Chief sergeant
  • Sergeant
  • Deputy sergeant
  • Assistant sergeant
  • Constable

    Fiji

Finland

France

;Officers
;Non-commissioned offices and volunteer assistant gendarmes

Germany

;Higher Police Service

Elevated Police Service

Middle Police Service

Police support employees

Greece

;Officers
;NCO and enlisted

Guatemala

Hong Kong

Hungary

;Officers
;Others

Iceland

Source:

India

State/union territory police forces

The Indian police hierarchy is structured into three distinct categories: the Indian Police Service, State Police Service, and State Police Subordinate Service. Both the IPS and SPS are classified under the gazetted officer category, while the State Police Subordinate service falls under the non-gazetted category. Service forces respectively.

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)

include the BSF, ITBP, SSB, CRPF, CISF, NSG, and AR. They function under the Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India.
;Officers
;Other ranks

Indonesia

;Officers
;Others

Iran

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Student officer ranks

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Iraq

The Iraqi Police is made up of three branches, under the command of the Ministry of Interior, these being the Iraqi Police Service which tasked with general patrol of Iraq's cities, the Federal Police which is a gendarmerie service which deals with incidents that are beyond the control of the Iraqi Police Service, but are not so serious the Iraqi Army are involved, and the supporting force that is made up of the Department of Border Enforcement.
The Iraqi Police commissioned officers ranks are the same that of the Iraqi Armed Forces, ordered lowest to highest with symbol on epaulette however the difference is that the Police ranks have silver insignia whereas the Armed Forces ranks have golden insignia.
Furthermore, there is a category of ranks in between the commissioned ranks and other ranks that is simply translated as "warrant officer" rank category.

Insignia

;Officers
;Warrant officers
;Other ranks

Republic of Ireland

Israel

;Officers
;Others

Italy

Polizia di Stato

Carabinieri

Officers
'''Others'''

Guardia di Finanza

Officers
'''Non-commissioned officers'''

Japan

Kenya

South Korea

Ranks:
  • Police officer
  • * Newly commissioned officers are appointed as policeman assistant for a one-year probationary period. The uniform and insignia of an assistant are identical to those of a policeman.
  • Auxiliary policeman
  • * Sergeant constable
  • * Corporal constable
  • * Private constable first class
  • * Private constable

    Laos

;Officers
;Enlisted

Latvia

The rank system of the Latvian State Police is as follows:

Lesotho

Lithuania

Luxembourg

The Grand Ducal Police of Luxembourg has the following ranks :

Macau

The Public Security Police Force of Macau includes the following categories, ranks and respective main functions:
  • Command and Management
  • Officials
  • : Intendent : commanding officer of level I units
  • : Sub-Intendent : commanding officer of level II units
  • : Commissioner : commanding officer of level III units
  • : Sub-commissioner : commanding officer of level IV units
  • : Chief : commanding officer of level V units
  • Agents
  • : Sub-chief : coordinator of complex tasks
  • : Principal constable : coordinator of simple tasks
  • : Constable first class : executor of operational, technical or administrative tasks
  • : Constable : executor of operational, technical or administrative tasks