All Topics  
Police station

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link

 

Police station


 
 


A police station (also called stationhouse) is a buildingBuilding Overview

In architecture, construction, and real estate development the word building may refer to one of the following:...
 which serves as the headquartersHeadquarters

Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are concentrated....
 of a policePolice Summary

Police forces are government organizations charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order , and protecting the ...
 force or unit which serves a specific districtDistrict

Local government areas called districts are used, or have been used, in several countries....
. These buildings typically contain offices, various accommodations for their personnel and their vehicleVehicle

This article is about the means of transport....
s such as locker roomLocker Room

Locker Room may refer to:* a changeroom...
s, temporary holding cellsPrison cell

A prison cell or detention cell refers to the accommodation of a prisoner in a prison or jail....
, and interview/interrogationInterrogation

Interrogation is a methodology employed during the interview of a person, referred to as a "source", to obtain information t...
 rooms.

Regional substations


Large departments may have many stations to cover the area they serve. The names used for these facilities include:

  • Detachment for local facilities of the Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal Canadian Mounted Police Summary

    The Royal Canadian Mounted Police or Mounties, also The RCMP acts as the federal police for all of Canada, enforcing c...
     and the Ontario Provincial PoliceOntario Provincial Police

    The Ontario Provincial Police is the provincial police force for the province of Ontario, Canada. ...
  • District offices are used by the California Highway PatrolCalifornia Highway Patrol Summary

    The California Highway Patrol is a state agency that acts as the state police force of California....
  • Division by the Toronto Police ServiceToronto Police Service

    The Toronto Police Service, formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the local police force for the City of Toron...
    , Los Angeles Police DepartmentLos Angeles Police Department Overview

    The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the City of Los Angeles, California....
     and the LondonLondon

    London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom....
     Metropolitan Police ServiceMetropolitan Police Service

    The Metropolitan Police Service is the Home Office police force responsible for Greater London, with the exception of the sq...
    .
  • Precinct or precinct house for regional facilities of the New York City Police DepartmentNew York City Police Department

    *Reporting to the Chief of Department:**Patrol Services...
     and other urban police departments in the United StatesUnited States

    The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is...
  • Substations are used by many departments, especially county sheriffSheriff

    Sheriff is both a political and a legal office held under English common law, Scots law or U.S....
    s
  • Police Stations in IndiaIndia Summary

    India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia....
    . A police station would typically be under the command of a Sub-InspectorSub-Inspector

    Sub-Inspector is a rank used extensively in the Indian Police, which is primarily based on the British model....
    . In case of a police station being the H.Q of a Police Circle, the InspectorInspector

    Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts....
    's office would be clearly demarcated (and most likely in a separate building).

Great Britain

The county constabulariesConstabulary

Constabulary may have several definitions....
 in Great BritainGreat Britain

Great Britain is an island lying off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe and to the east of Ireland, comprising the ma...
 used to be organised on villageVillage

A village is a human residential settlement commonly found in rural areas....
 lines. Most villages of any size (and even many small villages and hamletHamlet (place)

A hamlet is a small settlement, too small or unimportant to be considered a village....
s) had a police station, often called a "police house", which was staffed by a single constableConstable

A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement....
, who also lived there with his family. He could be called out by the locals at any time of the day or night and during the day also patrolled the village and surrounding area on a bicycleBicycle

A bicycle, or bike, can be defined generally as a pedal-driven human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a fra...
. These local police stations were grouped together into sections under a sergeantSergeant

Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world....
, whose station was known as a "sergeant's station". This was usually a larger station in a large village or small town (one such example being Leyland police stationLeyland police station

Leyland Police Station was originally located on Towngate in Leyland, Lancashire....
, staffed by one or more constables as well as the sergeant; although in very rural areas it may have been just another single-officer police house. Larger towns in the county constabulary areas had police stations staffed by a number of officers, often under the command of an inspectorInspector

Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts....
 or superintendentSuperintendent (police)

Superintendent, often shortened to "Super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth n...
, usually also commanding a sub-divisionPolice division

A division was until recently the usual term for the largest territorial subdivision of most British police forces, similar ...
 or divisionPolice division

A division was until recently the usual term for the largest territorial subdivision of most British police forces, similar ...
 respectively, and therefore giving the names of "sub-divisional station" or "divisional station" to their stations.

Organisation of police stations in the UK


In the United Kingdom, police stations may have:
  • Uniformed police officers who respond to 999 calls and provide community policing.
  • Police Community Support OfficerPolice Community Support Officer

    ...
    s (PCSOs) who are tasked with general day to day patrol in the community, (Excluding Ireland, and Scotland).
  • Traffic WardenTraffic warden

    A Traffic Warden is a member of civilian staff employed by a British police force to assist in regulating the flow of traffi...
    s who enforce parking regulations.
  • Crime Reduction Officers who are tasked with attending public functions, visiting households with advice and handing out items such as rape alarms.
  • A Firearms Enquiries OfficerFirearms Enquiries Officer

    A Firearms Enquiries Officer is a civillian member of most Police Forces in the United Kingdom....
    , responsible for firearms certificates and related duties.
  • Station Reception Officers (SROs) who are in charge of the front desk and do administration.
  • Fingerprinting and Identification Officers who deal with Criminal Identities for Archives.
  • In Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan police

    Metropolitan police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of t...
     stations, police cadets may be present helping regular officers, PCSOs or any police staff.
  • Special Constables, Sergeants and Inspectors will be present. A Special is a part-time fully trained Police Officer with powers of arrest.
  • Smaller stations usually have a number of Detective Constables (DCs) headed by a Detective Sergeant (DS), or in larger stations DCs, DSs and Detective Inspectors (DIs) are present, with the Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) in charge of the department.
  • Most stations have temporary holding cells where an arrested offender can be held overnight until escort to the court for sentencing.
  • An Authorised Firearms OfficerAuthorised Firearms Officer

    An Authorised Firearms Officer is a British police officer who has received the training and authorisation to carry and use ...
     (AFO) may be present at the station if it is central to that operational area.
  • Police Stations also have kitchens to aid the officers during shifts.


Most city police stations maintain two types of police vehicle - response cars, which respond to 999 calls and carry a range of equipment to deal with incidents, and Panda carPanda car

The phrase panda car is given to small or medium-sized police car operated by British police forces....
s, which are usually less-capable cars and generally used for community policing.

See also

  • Custody suiteCustody suite Overview

    A Custody Suite is the area used by United Kingdom Police to process and detain persons who have been arrested, otherwise ...