Australian police ranks

Last updated February 28, 2024

Australian police ranks and insignia are loosely based on the ranks of the United Kingdom police forces and differ between state and territory forces. Ranks listed here descend in seniority from left to right.

Current ranks

	Commissioner				Superintendent			Inspector		Sergeant				Constable					Student
New South Wales Police Force ^[1]
New South Wales Police Force ^[1]	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Senior assistant commissioner	Assistant commissioner		Chief superintendent	Superintendent	Chief inspector	Inspector		Senior sergeant	Incremental sergeant	Sergeant	Leading senior constable	Incremental senior constable	Senior constable	Constable	Probationary constable	Policing Student
	Commissioner				Superintendent			Inspector		Sergeant				Constable
Victoria Police ^[2] 2010–present
Victoria Police ^[2] 2010–present	Chief commissioner	Deputy commissioner		Assistant commissioner	Commander	Chief superintendent ^{[note 1]}	Superintendent	Chief inspector^{[note 2]}	Inspector		Senior sergeant		Sergeant	Leading senior constable		Senior constable	First constable^[3]	Constable	Probationary constable
	Commissioner				Superintendent			Inspector		Sergeant				Constable
Queensland Police Service ^[4] 2019–present
Queensland Police Service ^[4] 2019–present	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner		Assistant commissioner		Chief superintendent	Superintendent	Chief inspector (title, not rank)	Inspector	Senior sergeant – with recognition of service^{[note 3]}	Senior Sergeant	Sergeant – with recognition of service^{[note 3]}	Sergeant	Leading senior constable (title, not rank)	Senior constable – with recognition of service^{[note 3]}	Senior constable		Constable
	Commissioner				Superintendent			Inspector		Sergeant				Constable
South Australia Police ^[5]
South Australia Police ^[5]	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner		Assistant commissioner	Commander	Chief superintendent	Superintendent	Chief inspector	Inspector	Senior sergeant first class	Senior sergeant	Sergeant	Brevet sergeant		Senior constable first class	Senior constable	Constable first class	Constable	Probationary constable
	Commissioner				Superintendent			Inspector		Sergeant				Constable
Western Australia Police ^[6] 2009–present
Western Australia Police ^[6] 2009–present	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner		Assistant commissioner	Commander		Superintendent		Inspector		Senior sergeant		Sergeant			Senior constable	Constable first class	Constable
	Commissioner				Superintendent			Inspector		Sergeant				Constable
Tasmania Police ^[7]
Tasmania Police ^[7]	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner		Assistant commissioner	Commander				Inspector		Senior sergeant		Sergeant		Senior constable qualified	Senior constable	First class constable	Constable
	Commissioner				Superintendent			Inspector		Sergeant				Constable
Northern Territory Police ^[8]^[9] 2019–present
Northern Territory Police ^[8]^[9] 2019–present	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner		Assistant commissioner	Commander		Superintendent				Senior sergeant		Sergeant			Senior constable	Constable first class		Recruit constable
	Commissioner				Superintendent			Inspector		Sergeant				Constable					Recruit
Australian Federal Police (ACT Policing)^[10]^[11]
Australian Federal Police (ACT Policing)^[10]^[11]	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner		Assistant commissioner^{[note 4]}	Commander		Superintendent		Inspector		Sergeant			Leading senior constable		Senior constable	Constable first class	Constable	Police recruit
	Commissioner				Superintendent			Inspector		Supervisor				Officer			Assistant officer
Australian Border Force
Australian Border Force	Commissioner of the ABF	Deputy commissioner		Assistant commissioner	Commander	Border Force chief superintendent	Border Force superintendent		Border Force inspector				Border Force supervisor	Senior Border Force officer	Leading Border Force officer	Border Force officer	Assistant Border Force officer (level 2)	Assistant Border Force officer (level 1)

Former ranks

Federal

Name	Commissioner			Superintendent			Inspector			Sergeant			Constable
Commonwealth Police ^[12] 1917–1979 COMPOL	No equivalent			No equivalent							No equivalent			No equivalent
Commonwealth Police ^[12] 1917–1979 COMPOL	No equivalent		Assistant commissioner	No equivalent	Chief superintendent	Senior superintendent	Superintendent	Chief inspector	Senior inspector	Inspector	No equivalent	Senior sergeant	Sergeant	No equivalent	Senior constable	Constable first class	Constable	Police recruit
ACT Policing ^[12] 1917–1979 ACTPol	No equivalent			No equivalent										No equivalent
ACT Policing ^[12] 1917–1979 ACTPol	No equivalent		Deputy commissioner	No equivalent	Superintendent		Senior inspector	Inspector first-class		Inspector second-class	Sergeant first-class	Sergeant second-class	Sergeant third-class	No equivalent	Senior constable	Constable first class	Constable	Police recruit
Federal Police (ACT Policing)^[12]^[13] 1979–1990 AFP (ACTPol)				No equivalent										No equivalent
	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner^{[note 5]}	No equivalent	Chief superintendent		Superintendent	Chief inspector		Inspector	Station sergeant ^{[note 6]}	Senior sergeant	Sergeant	No equivalent		Constable first class	Constable	Police recruit
Federal Police (ACT Policing)^[14]^[15] 1990–2019 AFP (ACTPol)					No equivalent			No equivalent				No equivalent
	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner^{[note 7]}	Commander	No equivalent		Superintendent	No equivalent			Station sergeant ^{[note 8]}	No equivalent	Sergeant	Leading senior constable	Senior constable	Constable first class	Constable	Police recruit

Victoria

Victoria Police ^[13] circa 1984
Victoria Police ^[13] circa 1984	Chief Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Commander	Chief superintendent	Superintendent	Chief inspector	Inspector	Senior sergeant	Sergeant	Senior constable		Constable
Victoria Police 2003–2010
Victoria Police 2003–2010	Chief Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Commander	Chief superintendent	Superintendent	Chief inspector	Inspector	Senior sergeant	Sergeant	Senior constable	Reservist	Constable

Queensland

Queensland Police Service ^[16] 1975–1978							No equivalent						No equivalent
Queensland Police Service ^[16] 1975–1978	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Chief superintendent	Superintendent		No equivalent	Inspector		Senior sergeant	Sergeant first class	Sergeant second class	No equivalent	Senior constable	Constable first class	Constable
Queensland Police Service ^[13]^[17] 1978–1991
Queensland Police Service ^[13]^[17] 1978–1991	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Superintendent first class	Superintendent second class	Superintendent third class	Inspector first class	Inspector second class	Inspector third class	Senior sergeant	Sergeant first class	Sergeant second class	Sergeant third class	Senior constable	Constable first class	Constable
Queensland Police Service ^[13]^[18] 1991–1997							No equivalent				No equivalent		No equivalent
Queensland Police Service ^[13]^[18] 1991–1997	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Chief superintendent	Superintendent		No equivalent	Inspector		Senior sergeant	No equivalent	Sergeant	No equivalent	Senior constable	Constable (18 months of service)	Constable
Queensland Police Service ^[13]^[19] 1997–2001							No equivalent						No equivalent
Queensland Police Service ^[13]^[19] 1997–2001	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Chief superintendent	Superintendent		No equivalent	Inspector		Senior sergeant	Sergeant first class	Sergeant second class	No equivalent	Sergeant	Senior constable	Constable
Queensland Police Service ^[20]^[21] 2002–2019							No equivalent				No equivalent		No equivalent
Queensland Police Service ^[20]^[21] 2002–2019	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Chief superintendent	Superintendent		No equivalent	Inspector		Senior sergeant	No equivalent	Sergeant	No equivalent	Senior constable	Constable (5 years)	Constable

Northern Territory

Northern Territory Police ^[13] 1984				No equivalent
Northern Territory Police ^[13] 1984	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	No equivalent	Superintendent	Chief inspector	Inspector	Sergeant first class	Sergeant second class	Sergeant third class	Senior constable	Constable first class	Constable	Recruit constable
Northern Territory Police ^[22] 1984–2012						No equivalent			No equivalent				No equivalent
Northern Territory Police ^[22] 1984–2012	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Commander	Superintendent	No equivalent		Senior sergeant	No equivalent	Sergeant	Senior constable	Constable first class	No equivalent	Recruit constable
Northern Territory Police ^[8] 2012–2019						No equivalent			No equivalent				No equivalent
Northern Territory Police ^[8] 2012–2019	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Commander	Superintendent	No equivalent		Senior sergeant	No equivalent	Sergeant	Senior constable	Constable first class	No equivalent	Recruit constable

Notes

↑ The ranks of Chief Inspector and Chief Superintendent are no longer used or promotable.
↑ The ranks of Chief Inspector and Chief Superintendent are no longer used or promotable.
1 2 3 The 'Recognition of service' tab for each rank is not a separate rank with the Queensland Police Service, rather simply a means of highlighting the wearer's experience at that level
↑ Chief of ACT Policing
↑ Chief of ACT Policing
↑ Sergeant in specific roles as determined by the Commissioner
↑ Chief of ACT Policing
↑ Sergeant in specific roles as determined by the Commissioner

Related Research Articles

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy. The President of the Philippines is the Commander-in-Chief of the AFP and forms military policy with the Department of National Defense, an executive department acting as the principal organ by which military policy is carried out, while the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines serves as the overall commander and the highest-ranking officer in the AFP.

Commander is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.

Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services.

Police ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships in police organisations. The rank system defines authority and responsibility in a police organisation, and affects the culture within the police force. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms.

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto of "Firmness with Courtesy" was changed to "With Honour We Serve". The headquarters of the Queensland Police Service is located at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.

Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the British model.

Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.

Michael Joseph Keelty AO is a retired Australian Police Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police from 2001 to 2009. He was also the inaugural chairperson of the Australian Crime Commission, now known as the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

Police commissioner is a senior rank in many police forces of the world. In other jurisdictions, it is the title of a member of an oversight board.

ACT Policing is the portfolio of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) responsible for providing policing services to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The Australian Capital Territory Police was an independent police force responsible for policing the ACT until 19 October 1979, when it was merged with the Commonwealth Police to form the AFP.

Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territories and in many former British colonies. In some countries, such as Italy, the rank of superintendent is a low rank.

The Metropolitan Special Constabulary (MSC) is the volunteer police force of the Metropolitan Police Service. It is one of three Special Constabularies operating within London, the others being part of the City of London Police and British Transport Police. The service was created over 190 years ago under the Special Constables Act 1831. As of November 2021 it consists of 1,450 officers, making it the largest in the UK.

The Kenya Police Service is a national body in charge of law enforcement in Kenya. It is subordinate to National Police Service which is headed by Inspector General of Police who exercises independent command over the Service. Kenya Police is headed by Deputy Inspector General. Kenya Police is divided into Service Headquarters in Nairobi, Formations, General Duty Commands and Training Institutions.

Gorget patches are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform (gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign the military rank, the rank of civil service, the military unit, the office (department) or the branch of the armed forces and the arm of service.

The Royal Montserrat Police Service is the police service of the British Overseas Territory island of Montserrat in the Caribbean.

The United States police-rank model is generally quasi-military in structure. A uniform system of insignia based on that of the US Army and Marine Corps is used to help identify an officer's seniority.

Station sergeant is a police rank senior to sergeant and junior to inspector in some British and Commonwealth police forces. The rank insignia is usually a sergeant's three chevrons surmounted by a crown, or sometimes four chevrons. The Metropolitan Police, which was the first force to introduce the rank, originally used four chevrons, but later changed to a crown over three chevrons, which was identical to the insignia worn by a staff sergeant in the British Army. A police officer holding the rank will be the senior sergeant in a police station, or in some cases the commander of a smaller sub-divisional police establishment.

The police in Canada's ranks differ according to the different police forces and depend on different laws at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels.

Senior superintendent is a senior rank in police forces used in Brunei, Estonia, Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong, India, Lesotho, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and formerly in the Philippines and in Japan.

References

↑ "Rank Insignia – NSW Police Force". New South Wales Police Force. Archived from the original on 4 December 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
↑ "Victoria Police – Insignia of Police Ranks". VicNews - The Victorian Scanning News. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
↑ "First Constable (63/11)". Archived from the original on 5 February 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
↑ "QPS Ranks". www.police.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
↑ "South Australia Police - Rank Insignia". The International Encyclopedia of Uniform Insignia Around the World. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
↑ "Western Australia Police - Rank Insignia". Western Australia Police. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
↑ "Tasmania Police – Rank Insignia and Title". Tasmania Police . Retrieved 4 October 2015.
1 2 "New NT Police Uniform – Alice Springs and Southern Region Command". NT Police, Fire, and Emergency Services. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
↑ "Graduating officer Liam Devine with NT Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw". ABC . 12 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
↑ "AFP National Guidelines on Uniform and Standards of Dress". CiteSeerX 10.1.1.738.8340 .
↑ "Inspector title returns to ACT Policing". 29 May 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
1 2 3 "Regulations Under the Australian Federal Police Act 1979". 10 October 1979. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Swanton, Bruce; Hannigan, Garry (1985). Police Source Book 2 (PDF). Australian Institute of Criminology. p. 181. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
↑ "AFP National Guidelines on Uniform and Standards of Dress". CiteSeerX 10.1.1.738.8340 .
↑ "Inspector title returns to ACT Policing". 29 May 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
↑ "Queensland Police 1975–1978" . Retrieved 18 January 2020.
↑ "Queensland Police 1978–1991" . Retrieved 18 January 2020.
↑ "Queensland Police 1991–1997" . Retrieved 18 January 2020.
↑ "Queensland Police 1997–2001" . Retrieved 18 January 2020.
↑ "Queensland Police 2002" . Retrieved 18 January 2020.
↑ Queensland Police Service (16 August 2019). "Rank insignia". police.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
↑ "Insignia, Patches and Badges – NT Police Museum". sites.google.com. Retrieved 13 May 2016.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[3] The ranks of Chief Inspector and Chief Superintendent are no longer used or promotable.

[4] The ranks of Chief Inspector and Chief Superintendent are no longer used or promotable.

[:0-7] 1 2 3 The 'Recognition of service' tab for each rank is not a separate rank with the Queensland Police Service, rather simply a means of highlighting the wearer's experience at that level

[15] Chief of ACT Policing

[18] Chief of ACT Policing

[19] Sergeant in specific roles as determined by the Commissioner

[22] Chief of ACT Policing

[23] Sergeant in specific roles as determined by the Commissioner

[nswpolice-1] "Rank Insignia – NSW Police Force". New South Wales Police Force. Archived from the original on 4 December 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2007.

[vicpolice-2] "Victoria Police – Insignia of Police Ranks". VicNews - The Victorian Scanning News. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2007.

[WebCite-TPAV-5] "First Constable (63/11)". Archived from the original on 5 February 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2013.

[6] "QPS Ranks". www.police.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

[sapolice-8] "South Australia Police - Rank Insignia". The International Encyclopedia of Uniform Insignia Around the World. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2007.

[wapolice-9] "Western Australia Police - Rank Insignia". Western Australia Police. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2007.

[taspolice-10] "Tasmania Police – Rank Insignia and Title". Tasmania Police . Retrieved 4 October 2015.

[New_NT-11] 1 2 "New NT Police Uniform – Alice Springs and Southern Region Command". NT Police, Fire, and Emergency Services. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2021.

[12] "Graduating officer Liam Devine with NT Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw". ABC . 12 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2021.

[13] "AFP National Guidelines on Uniform and Standards of Dress". CiteSeerX 10.1.1.738.8340 .

[14] "Inspector title returns to ACT Policing". 29 May 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.

[Regulations-16] 1 2 3 "Regulations Under the Australian Federal Police Act 1979". 10 October 1979. Retrieved 21 January 2021.

[Source_Book-17] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Swanton, Bruce; Hannigan, Garry (1985). Police Source Book 2 (PDF). Australian Institute of Criminology. p. 181. Retrieved 21 January 2021.

[20] "AFP National Guidelines on Uniform and Standards of Dress". CiteSeerX 10.1.1.738.8340 .

[21] "Inspector title returns to ACT Policing". 29 May 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.

[24] "Queensland Police 1975–1978" . Retrieved 18 January 2020.

[25] "Queensland Police 1978–1991" . Retrieved 18 January 2020.

[26] "Queensland Police 1991–1997" . Retrieved 18 January 2020.

[27] "Queensland Police 1997–2001" . Retrieved 18 January 2020.

[28] "Queensland Police 2002" . Retrieved 18 January 2020.

[29] Queensland Police Service (16 August 2019). "Rank insignia". police.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 18 January 2020.

[30] "Insignia, Patches and Badges – NT Police Museum". sites.google.com. Retrieved 13 May 2016.

[1]

[2]

[note 1]

[note 2]

[3]

[4]

[note 3]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[note 4]

[12]

[13]

[note 5]

[note 6]

[14]

[15]

[note 7]

[note 8]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]