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Inspector



 
 
Inspector is both a police
Police

Police are agents or agencies, usually of the executive , empowered to enforce the law and to ensure public and social order through the legitimized use of force....
 rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.

ustralian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the next senior rank from Senior Sergeant
Sergeant

Sergeant is a Military rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
 and is less senior than a superintendent
Superintendent (police)

Superintendent , often shortened to "Super", is a rank in Policing in the United Kingdom and in most English-speaking Commonwealth of Nations nations....
 (in the cases of the Queensland Police
Queensland Police

The Queensland Police Service is the 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"....
. Members holding the rank usually wear an epaulette featuring three silver pips, the same rank badge as a Captain in the army
Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force....
. In addition to the general rank of Inspector, some police forces use other ranks such as Detective Inspector, District Inspector and Chief Inspector.

ost Canadian police services
Policing in Canada

In Canada, there are three levels of police forces: municipal, provincial, and federal. Constitutionally, law enforcement is a provincial responsibility, although most urban areas have been given the authority by the provinces to maintain their own police force....
 the rank of Inspector is the first above the sergeant
Sergeant

Sergeant is a Military rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
 ranks.






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Inspector is both a police
Police

Police are agents or agencies, usually of the executive , empowered to enforce the law and to ensure public and social order through the legitimized use of force....
 rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.

Australia

In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the next senior rank from Senior Sergeant
Sergeant

Sergeant is a Military rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
 and is less senior than a superintendent
Superintendent (police)

Superintendent , often shortened to "Super", is a rank in Policing in the United Kingdom and in most English-speaking Commonwealth of Nations nations....
 (in the cases of the Queensland Police
Queensland Police

The Queensland Police Service is the 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"....
. Members holding the rank usually wear an epaulette featuring three silver pips, the same rank badge as a Captain in the army
Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force....
. In addition to the general rank of Inspector, some police forces use other ranks such as Detective Inspector, District Inspector and Chief Inspector.

Canada

In most Canadian police services
Policing in Canada

In Canada, there are three levels of police forces: municipal, provincial, and federal. Constitutionally, law enforcement is a provincial responsibility, although most urban areas have been given the authority by the provinces to maintain their own police force....
 the rank of Inspector is the first above the sergeant
Sergeant

Sergeant is a Military rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
 ranks. It is usually immediately below the rank of Superintendent
Superintendent (police)

Superintendent , often shortened to "Super", is a rank in Policing in the United Kingdom and in most English-speaking Commonwealth of Nations nations....
. Senior Inspectors are higher ranking administrative rank in Canada's police forces.

France

In the French National Police
French National Police

The National Police , formerly the S?ret?, is one of two national police forces and the main civil law enforcement agency of France, with primary jurisdiction in cities and large towns....
, inspecteur is a former rank of members of the Command and Management Corps. There were several grades of Inspecteur, with senior detectives holding the various grades of commissaire
Commissaire

Commissaire may refer to:*Commissaire , an official in competitive cycle sport, analogulous to a referee or judge*Commissaire de police, a French police rank...
. See French National Police
French National Police

The National Police , formerly the S?ret?, is one of two national police forces and the main civil law enforcement agency of France, with primary jurisdiction in cities and large towns....
 for current ranks.

Germany

In Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, inspektor is a civil service rank. It is the lowest and therefore the entry rank of the gehobener Dienst (upper service) requiring a degree from a three-year administrative college. The rank is not used in the German police services; there the equivalent of Inspektor is Kommissar.

Hong Kong

S Govt Hkpf Ins Cip
In the Hong Kong Police Force
Hong Kong Police Force

The Hong Kong Police is the police of Hong Kong. Formed in 1844 with a strength of 35, the force evolved from an extremely broad-based role , to that of a traditional police service, with mostly civic responsibilities - although the force is still heavily committed to countering illegal immigration and smuggling....
), inspector (including probationary inspector and senior inspector is the rank senior to station sergeant
Station Sergeant

Station Sergeant was a rank in the London Metropolitan Police and continues as a rank in the Hong Kong Police Force. It is also a rank used by the Australian Federal Police whilst members are attached to the International Deployment Group....
 and junior to chief inspector
Chief Inspector

Chief Inspector is a UK police ranks used in police forces which follow the British police model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as Chief Inspector of Police ....
, an inspector is a leader of a team, a shift or a police station. The rank badge of probation inspector is one silver star on his/her shoulder pad. The rank badge of inspector is two silver stars on his/her shoulder pad. The rank badge of senior inspector is two silver stars above a silver horrizonly bar on his/her shoulder badge. The rank badge of chief inspector
Chief Inspector

Chief Inspector is a UK police ranks used in police forces which follow the British police model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as Chief Inspector of Police ....
 is three silver stars on his/her shoulder pad. The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Services also have inspector ranks like the Hong Kong Police Force. The rank badge is similar to HKP, but their stars and bar are bronze.

India

In the police forces of India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, an inspector is a commissioned police officer ranking above a Sub-Inspector
Sub-Inspector

Sub-Inspector is a rank used extensively in the Indian Police Service, which is primarily based on the United Kingdom UK police ranks. It was formerly used in most British Empire police forces and in certain British police forces as well....
 and below a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) or an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). In the Rural areas Inspectors generally (but not always) have jurisdictions over more than one police station (generally under a Sub-Inspector
Sub-Inspector

Sub-Inspector is a rank used extensively in the Indian Police Service, which is primarily based on the United Kingdom UK police ranks. It was formerly used in most British Empire police forces and in certain British police forces as well....
 of Police). However, in many cities, Inspectors would be the Station House Officer (SHO) at every police station. The rank insignia for a Police Inspector is three stars, and a red and blue striped ribbon at the outer edge of the shoulder straps. In rural areas where an inspector is in charge of a police circle (consisting more than one police station) he is also referred to as "Circle Inspector" (CI).

Republic of Ireland

In the Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána

is the police of the Republic of Ireland.The force is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin....
, inspector is senior to Sergeant and junior to Superintendent
Superintendent (police)

Superintendent , often shortened to "Super", is a rank in Policing in the United Kingdom and in most English-speaking Commonwealth of Nations nations....
. Inspectors can be either detectives or in uniform.

Malaysia

In Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
's police force, the rank Inspector is one step above the Sub-Inspector and one step under Assistant Superintendent. There are three stages: probation inspector (three years probation), inspector and chief inspector. Inspectors are recruited differently from the normal police constable. Their training is also longer.

Romania

In the Romanian Police
Romanian Police

The Romanian Police is the National police and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform ....
, inspector is a rank senior to Subinspector
Sub-Inspector

Sub-Inspector is a rank used extensively in the Indian Police Service, which is primarily based on the United Kingdom UK police ranks. It was formerly used in most British Empire police forces and in certain British police forces as well....
 and junior to Inspector principal
Chief Inspector

Chief Inspector is a UK police ranks used in police forces which follow the British police model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as Chief Inspector of Police ....
 and corresponds to the former rank of Police Lieutenant
Lieutenant

Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service, emergency medical services or police commissioned officer military rank.Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organisations with a codified command structure....
 (see Romanian Police Ranks
Romanian Police

The Romanian Police is the National police and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform ....
).

United Kingdom


Within the British police, Inspector is the second supervisory rank. Being senior to Sergeant
Sergeant

Sergeant is a Military rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
, but junior to that of Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector

Chief Inspector is a UK police ranks used in police forces which follow the British police model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as Chief Inspector of Police ....
. Inspector is an operational supervisory rank, meaning that they may supervise junior officers in police operations, shifts, criminal investigations, or having a specific role within the Force Firearms Unit
Firearms unit

A firearms unit is a specialised, armed unit within each territorial police force in the United Kingdom. For the most part, the Law enforcement in the United Kingdom are unarmed; however, all have firearms units to provide the police force with the capability to deal with armed criminals....
.

Inspectors epaulettes do not feature a divisional call sign or personal identification number, instead they feature Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a United Kingdom order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the medieval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements....
 stars, informally known as "pips", which is the same insignia as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant

Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service, emergency medical services or police commissioned officer military rank.Lieutenant may also appear as part of a title used in various other organisations with a codified command structure....
 in the British Army
British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
. Inspectors do not wear the traditional British policeman's helmet, but wear a flat peaked cap with a force-specific badge.

Inspectors that are in the Criminal Investigation Department
Criminal Investigation Department

The Criminal Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the Policing in the United Kingdom and many other Commonwealth of Nations police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong....
 hold the same rank as uniformed Inspectors, CID Inspectors are known as Detective Inspectors.

Newly promoted Inspectors are paid a salary of £43,000, rising to £46,000.

Many Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
 police forces also use the rank. The rank has existed since the foundation of the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service

The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within Greater London, excluding the City of London which is the responsibility of a City of London Police....
 formed in 1829
Metropolitan Police Act 1829

The Metropolitan Police Act 1829 was an Act of Parliament introduced by Robert Peel and passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act established the Metropolitan Police Service of London, replacing the numerous local constables and officials ....
, when it ranked directly below Superintendent
Superintendent (police)

Superintendent , often shortened to "Super", is a rank in Policing in the United Kingdom and in most English-speaking Commonwealth of Nations nations....
. Police Constables and Sergeants often refer to, and sometimes (especially in the CID) address, Inspectors as "Gaffer" (generally North and Midlands), "Guv" (generally South) or "Boss".

The unpaid Special Constabulary
Special Constabulary

The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of a statute police force in the United Kingdom or some Crown dependency. Its officers are known as Special Constables or informally as Specials....
 rank of Inspector, used until the early 1980s(?) was changed to "Sub-Divisional Officer" in some Police forces, while others continue to use the rank of Special Inspector.

United States

In the United States, the term inspector can have very different meanings depending on the law enforcement agency. For example, in the San Francisco Police Department
San Francisco Police Department

The San Francisco Police Department, also known as the SFPD, is the police department of the City and County of San Francisco, California....
, inspector is the normal title for a detective, and the investigative branch of the SFPD is called the Bureau of Inspectors.

In the Berkeley
Berkeley, California

Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland, California and Emeryville, California....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, Police Department, inspector was once the title used for an investigative supervisor, who commanded a specific specialized detail, like Homicide, Robbery, or Property Crimes, within the department's Detective Division. They ranked between sergeants and lieutenants and, on the comparatively rare occasions when they wore uniforms, their rank insignia was identical to that worn by warrant officers in the US Armed Forces
Armed forces

The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external and internal aggressors....
. The title has since been phased out, and the duties once performed by inspectors are now performed by detective sergeants.

In the Wisconsin State Patrol
Wisconsin State Patrol

The Wisconsin State Patrol is the state police force for the state of Wisconsin. It serves a population of 5.6 million mainly through traffic safety and enforcement on the state highways....
, inspectors are state troopers assigned to the motor carrier safety inspection unit where they enforce trucking laws and regulations.

In the Hayward, California Police Department, the rank of inspector is a civil service rank above a detective and below that of a sergeant.

In the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department

The New York City Police Department , established in 1844, is currently the largest police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within Borough of New York City....
, inspector is a high-ranking executive position, two grades above a Captain
Police captain

Captain is a police rank.In most U.S. police departments, the rank of captain is immediately above lieutenant. A captain is often the officer in charge of a precinct....
, and one grade above a Deputy Inspector. In the LAPD, the rank of inspector, one grade above captain, was changed to commander
Commander

Commander is a military 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 military, particularly in police and law enforcement....
 in 1974, because LAPD senior officers preferred the more military
Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
-sounding title.

In the FBI, an inspector is a special agent
Special agent

Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for either the United States United States Government or a state, county, municipal, or tribal government....
 whose main duty is inspecting local Field Offices and Resident Agencies to make sure they are operating efficiently. Since FBI Inspectors are not tied to any particular Field Office, they have, in the past, also been used as trouble-shooting investigators on major cases. Joseph Sullivan
Joseph Sullivan (FBI)

Joseph Aloysius Sullivan was a Major Case Inspector for the FBI. He was involved in a number of highly publicized cases in the sixties and seventies including the Martin Luther King, Jr....
, the model for Inspector Lew Erskine, the fictional character played by Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in the 1965-1974 ABC TV series The FBI, was perhaps the best-known of the Bureau's Major Case Inspectors. The United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service

The United States Marshals Service is a United States Federal law enforcement in the United States within the United States Department of Justice and is the second oldest federal law enforcement agency in the United States.While the United States Postal Inspection Service first agent was appointed in 1772, performed Chief Postal Inspect...
 employs a similar position.

In the Postal Inspection Service, inspector is the name given to 1811 Criminal Investigators, better known as special agents in most other Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.

In American administrative law
Administrative law

Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of government agency of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulation agenda....
, an inspector is an official charged with the duty to issue permits, such as a building inspector
Building code

A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures....
 or sanitation
Sanitation

Sanitation is the hygienic means of preventing human contact from the hazards of wastes to promote health. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease....
 inspector, and to enforce the relevant regulations and laws. An agency may have an Inspector General
Inspector General

In a civilian or military administration, an Inspector General is a high ranking official charged with the mission to inspect and report on some bodies in their field of competency....
 responsible for preventing internal fraud
Fraud

In the broadest sense, a fraud is a deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction....
, waste, abuse and other agency deficiencies.