England, Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland
UK police ranks in order
The 43 forces of England and Wales, Police Scotland, the PSNI and the British Transport Police, Ministry of Defence Police and Civil Nuclear Constabulary all use the same rank structure, from constable to chief constable. Here is each rank in order, how to recognise it on an epaulette, what the abbreviations mean and what each rank is paid.
Police ranks from lowest to highest
1.
Constable (PC · detective: DC)
Front-line policing: response, neighbourhood, investigation.
Insignia: Collar number only.
Pay 2026/27: £32,256 – £52,014 (England & Wales). Constable salary →
2.
Sergeant (PS or Sgt · detective: DS)
First-line supervisor of a team of constables; only a substantive sergeant can be a custody officer.
Insignia: Three chevrons above the collar number.
Pay 2026/27: £55,443 – £58,176 (England & Wales). Sergeant salary →
3.
Inspector (Insp · detective: DI)
Manages several teams or a shift; first rank of senior supervision.
Insignia: Two Bath stars ("pips").
Pay 2026/27: £66,000 – £71,397 (England & Wales). Inspector salary →
4.
Chief inspector (CI or Ch Insp · detective: DCI)
Runs a department or area, or leads major investigations (often as senior investigating officer in CID).
Insignia: Three Bath stars.
Pay 2026/27: £72,807 – £75,708 (England & Wales). Chief inspector salary →
5.
Superintendent (Supt · detective: Det Supt)
Commands a policing area or a large specialist function.
Insignia: A crown.
Pay 2026/27: £87,123 – £102,480 (England & Wales). Superintendent salary →
6.
Chief superintendent (Ch Supt · detective: Det Ch Supt)
Senior commander of a division or a force-wide portfolio.
Insignia: A crown above a Bath star.
Pay 2026/27: £107,430 – £119,838 (England & Wales). Chief superintendent salary →
7.
Assistant chief constable (ACC)
Chief officer: member of the force command team.
Insignia: Crossed tipstaves in a wreath.
Pay 2026/27: set for each force within national arrangements for chief officers.
8.
Deputy chief constable (DCC)
Second in command of the force.
Insignia: A Bath star above crossed tipstaves.
Pay 2026/27: set for each force within national arrangements for chief officers.
9.
Chief constable (CC)
Head of the force, accountable to the police and crime commissioner (or mayor).
Insignia: A crown above crossed tipstaves.
Pay 2026/27: set for each force within national arrangements for chief officers.
Insignia are simplified illustrations of a standard black epaulette; details vary between forces.
Detective ranks
Up to chief superintendent, officers in CID and some specialist units add “detective” to their rank: detective constable (DC), detective sergeant (DS), detective inspector (DI), detective chief inspector (DCI), detective superintendent and detective chief superintendent. It is not a higher rank: a DS and a uniformed sergeant have the same powers and the same basic pay. Detectives usually work in plain clothes, so they do not wear rank insignia day to day.
Metropolitan Police and City of London ranks
Up to chief superintendent the ranks are the same. Above it, London uses its own titles:
| Met rank | Abbreviation | Equivalent elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Cmdr | Assistant chief constable |
| Deputy assistant commissioner | DAC | Deputy chief constable |
| Assistant commissioner | AC | Chief constable |
| Deputy commissioner | — | No equivalent |
| Commissioner | — | Head of the Metropolitan Police |
The City of London Police has a commander, an assistant commissioner and a commissioner, and wears its insignia in gold.
Police rank abbreviations
- PC / DC
- Police constable / detective constable
- PS, Sgt / DS
- Police sergeant / detective sergeant
- Insp / DI
- Inspector / detective inspector
- CI / DCI
- Chief inspector / detective chief inspector
- Supt / Det Supt
- Superintendent / detective superintendent
- Ch Supt / Det Ch Supt
- Chief superintendent / detective chief superintendent
- ACC, DCC, CC
- Assistant, deputy and chief constable
- Cmdr, DAC, AC
- Commander, deputy assistant commissioner, assistant commissioner (Met and City of London)
- CID
- Criminal Investigation Department: the detective branch
- PCSO
- Police community support officer: police staff, not a constable
- SC
- Special constable: a volunteer officer with full police powers
Moving up a rank
In England and Wales, promotion to sergeant and inspector goes through the National Police Promotion Framework, starting with a legal knowledge exam. The next sergeants' exam is on 16 to 18 March 2027.
Frequently asked questions
What are the police ranks in the UK in order?
From lowest to highest: constable, sergeant, inspector, chief inspector, superintendent, chief superintendent, assistant chief constable, deputy chief constable and chief constable. The Metropolitan Police and City of London Police use commander and commissioner ranks above chief superintendent instead.
Do detectives outrank uniformed officers?
No. A detective holds the same rank, powers and authority as a uniformed officer of that rank. The "detective" prefix (DC, DS, DI, DCI…) shows that the officer is trained and accredited to investigate serious or complex crime, usually in CID, and normally works in plain clothes.
What does DCI stand for?
Detective chief inspector: a chief inspector working as a detective, often the senior investigating officer on serious crimes. DI is detective inspector, DS detective sergeant and DC detective constable.
Are police ranks the same in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
The rank structure is the same. The PSNI replaces the crown with the star from its badge, wears green epaulettes, and its sergeants wear their chevrons point up. Police Scotland uses the same ranks, with small differences in headwear.
How do you get promoted in the police?
In England and Wales through the National Police Promotion Framework: be competent in your current rank, pass the step two legal exam for sergeant or inspector, then your force’s selection and a period of temporary promotion. Officers must serve two years as a substantive sergeant before promotion to inspector.
Sources: Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, s. 36 (custody officers); College of Policing, NPPF candidate handbook 2026 (promotion); pay from the England & Wales scales in force from 1 September 2026.