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Police officer ranks

You can identify what rank an officer is by looking at the symbols on the epaulettes on the shoulders of their uniform.

Click on an image of an epaulette to find out which rank it is for.

Police officers

Police officers are responsible for reducing crime, offering support and reassurance to victims of crime and giving crime prevention advice to the public.

Any officers below the rank of Assistant Chief Constable will be a Detective if the officer is part of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

                Constable
Constable
               Sergeant
Sergeant
              Inspector
Inspector
         Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector
          Superintendent
Superintendent
     Chief Superintendent
Chief Superintendent
   Assistant Chief Constable
Assistant Chief Constable
   Deputy Chief Constable
Deputy Chief Constable
       Chief Constable
Chief Constable

Communications officers

Communications officers are responsible for answering emergency and non-emergency calls.

Communications Officer
Communications Officer
Communications Supervisor
Communications Supervisor
Communications Shift Manager
Communications Shift Manager

Police Community Support Officer (PCSO)

Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) are responsible for reducing crime and providing a visible and reassuring presence in local communities.

Police Community Support Officer
Police Community Support Officer
Police Community Support Officer  (Bristol)
Police Community Support Officer (Bristol)

Special Constabulary

Special constables are volunteer police officers who hold the same powers as regular police officers and work alongside them to deliver justice for victims of crime.

Special Constable
Special Constable
Special Section Officer
Special Section Officer
Special Area Officer
Special Area Officer
Special District Officer
Special District Officer
Special Superintendent
Special Superintendent
Special Chief Officer
Special Chief Officer

Police cadets

Police cadets are responsible for engaging with the public at community events and educating them on crime prevention.

Volunteer Police Cadet
Volunteer Police Cadet
Volunteer Police Cadet Leader
Volunteer Police Cadet Leader

Forensics officers

Forensic officers are responsible for finding, recording and recovering evidence from crime scenes.

Forensics Officer
Forensics Officer
Forensics Supervisor
Forensics Supervisor

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