Unit 1 A06

Examine career progression in one public service

The police force

For this AO I have chosen the police force to study. I am going to study
the different ranks and how to reach these ranks. I am going to study the
different courses and how they help to start at a higher rank. Also I am
going to look at the qualifications and also look at personal development/
experience.
United Kingdom police ranks.

A constable

Constable is the first rank you acquire in the police force. All police officers hold
the office of a Constable. Each officer starts at the rank of Constable and is
required to undergo a two year probationary period which then if they do well;
they may get promoted to sergeant.

Sergeant

In most armies the rank of sergeant corresponds to command of a squad (or

section). In Commonwealth armies it is a more senior rank, corresponding roughly
to a platoon second-in-command. In the United States Army sergeant is a more
junior rank, corresponding to a squad second-in-command.

Inspector

Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a

number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.

Chief inspector
In the British police, a Chief Inspector is senior to an Inspector and junior to
Superintendent It is approximately equivalent to the rank of Captain in United
States police forces. Today, the function of Chief Inspectors varies from force to
force. They may assist Basic Command Unit (BCU) commanders, command
smaller units, or fill various staff posts

Superintendent
Superintendent (Supt), often shortened to "Super", is a rank in British police
services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many
Commonwealth countries the full version is Superintendent of Police (SP). The
rank is also still used in the former British Colony of Hong Kong.

Chief Superintendent
In the British police, a Chief Superintendent (Ch Supt; or colloquially "Chief
Super") is senior to a Superintendent and junior to an Assistant Chief Constable
(or a Commander in the Metropolitan Police or City of London Police).

Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title
depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is
also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces,
particularly in police and law enforcement.

Deputy Assistant commissioner

Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, usually just Assistant
Commissioner (AC), is the third highest rank in London's Metropolitan Police,
ranking below Deputy Commissioner and above Deputy Assistant
Commissioner. There are usually four officers in the rank. From 1 September
2010 the salary is £181,455, making them the equal fourth highest paid police
officers in the United Kingdom, behind the Commissioner, the Deputy
Commissioner, and the Chief Constable of Northern Ireland, and alongside the
Chief Constables of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.

Deputy Commissioner
The deputy Commissioner of the police of Metropolis is the second in command of
London’s Metropolitan police. The Deputy Commissioner's salary from 1 September
2010 is £214,722, making him the second highest paid British police officer.

Commissioner
The Commissioner is regarded as the leading British police officer in the United
Kingdom. The rank is usually referred to as the Metropolitan Police
Commissioner, or simply just "Commissioner". The Commissioner's salary from 1
September 2010 is £260,088, more than sixty thousand pounds higher than that of
any British police officer outside London.