Station sergeant
Encyclopedia
Station sergeant was a rank in the London
Metropolitan Police
and continues as a rank in the Hong Kong Police Force
, and Royal Barbados Police Force
. It is also a rank used by the Australian Federal Police
whilst members are attached to the International Deployment Group.
(a pip and a crown), or commander
(three pips and crown).
Station sergeants serve as team leader and senior NCO.
Garda Síochána
used the rank until at least the 1960s.
in a police station
. He either acted as the station inspector
's deputy or commanded a smaller station that had no Inspector. The insignia was a crown over three chevrons.
The rank was officially introduced in 1890 to replace the short-lived rank of sub-inspector
, although the term had been used unofficially before that time. Officers who already held the rank of sub-inspector retained it, however. In 1890, a station sergeant's pay started at 45 shilling
s a week (a sergeant's maximum pay was 40 shillings a week), rising by an annual increment of 1 shilling a week to 48 shillings a week.
The Criminal Investigation Department
equivalent was the first class detective sergeant, who was in charge of the allocation of cases to the detective
s in each division
.
Originally, station sergeant was a mandatory step between sergeant and inspector, but later it became common to miss out the rank entirely and it became more of a reward for long-serving sergeants who did not wish to be promoted to inspector. The rank was never available to women officers.
No further promotions to the ranks of station sergeant and first class detective sergeant were made after 1973. The last officer to hold the rank was Station Sergeant William Palmer, who retired in 1980.
Possibly the most famous fictional station sergeant was George Dixon in the long-running television series Dixon of Dock Green
.
An equivalent rank was clerk sergeant, or clerk police sergeant (CPS), held by the officer responsible for all administration in a division. Clerk sergeants were regraded as inspectors in January 1954.
in the Hong Kong Police Force. Because of that, station sergeants tend to be the most senior and most experienced NCO in a unit, serving as the commander or second-in-command of a unit and/or a station if necessary.
To progress to the rank of inspector, a station sergeant must undergo the same application process as other junior officers. The rank badge of a station sergeant is the Hong Kong Police badge surrounded by a wreath worn in the centre of the shoulder strap.
A distinctive feature of the uniform of a station sergeant is that they wear the white shirt typically worn by commissioned officers as opposed to the cornflower blue
or dodger blue
shirts worn by sergeants and all ranks below. However, those who are acting to become a station sergeant may be required to wear the blue shirts with station sergeant insignia.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
and continues as a rank in the Hong Kong Police Force
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force is the largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. It is the world's second, and Asia's first, police agency to operate with a modern policing system. It was formed on 1 May 1844, with a strength of 32 officers...
, and Royal Barbados Police Force
Royal Barbados Police Force
The Royal Barbados Police Force , as outlined by the Constitution of Barbados is a part of the government responsible for local law enforcement. The Commissioner of the Police force is Darwin Dottin, who also served as the last president of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police...
. It is also a rank used by the Australian Federal Police
Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
whilst members are attached to the International Deployment Group.
Australian Federal Police
Whilst on deployment in peacekeeping operations members of the Australian Federal Police are appointed to the ranks of senior sergeant (three chevrons below a crown which is surrounded by a laurel leaf), station sergeant (a crown surrounded by a laurel leaf), superintendentSuperintendent (police)
Superintendent , 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...
(a pip and a crown), or commander
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.-Commander as a naval...
(three pips and crown).
Station sergeants serve as team leader and senior NCO.
Garda
The IrishRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
used the rank until at least the 1960s.
Metropolitan Police
The station sergeant, or station police sergeant (SPS), was the senior sergeantSergeant
Sergeant is a 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....
in a police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
. He either acted as the station inspector
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.- Australia :...
's deputy or commanded a smaller station that had no Inspector. The insignia was a crown over three chevrons.
The rank was officially introduced in 1890 to replace the short-lived rank of sub-inspector
Sub-inspector
Sub-inspector is a rank used extensively in the Indian Police, Pakistani Police and Sri Lankan Police, which is primarily based on the British model. It was formerly used in most British colonial police forces and in certain British police forces as well...
, although the term had been used unofficially before that time. Officers who already held the rank of sub-inspector retained it, however. In 1890, a station sergeant's pay started at 45 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s a week (a sergeant's maximum pay was 40 shillings a week), rising by an annual increment of 1 shilling a week to 48 shillings a week.
The Criminal Investigation Department
Criminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
equivalent was the first class detective sergeant, who was in charge of the allocation of cases to the detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
s in each division
Police division
A division was the usual term for the largest territorial subdivision of most British police forces. In major reforms of police organisation in the 1990s divisions of many forces were restructured and retitled Basic Command Units , although some forces continue to refer to them as divisions.The...
.
Originally, station sergeant was a mandatory step between sergeant and inspector, but later it became common to miss out the rank entirely and it became more of a reward for long-serving sergeants who did not wish to be promoted to inspector. The rank was never available to women officers.
No further promotions to the ranks of station sergeant and first class detective sergeant were made after 1973. The last officer to hold the rank was Station Sergeant William Palmer, who retired in 1980.
Possibly the most famous fictional station sergeant was George Dixon in the long-running television series Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
.
An equivalent rank was clerk sergeant, or clerk police sergeant (CPS), held by the officer responsible for all administration in a division. Clerk sergeants were regraded as inspectors in January 1954.
Hong Kong Police Force
In the Hong Kong Police Force, the rank of station sergeant (SSG) is senior to sergeant but junior to inspector. A station sergeant is required to have served three years at the rank of sergeant and be recommended by a selection board before being promoted to the rank. Station sergeant is the highest non-commissioned rankNon-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
in the Hong Kong Police Force. Because of that, station sergeants tend to be the most senior and most experienced NCO in a unit, serving as the commander or second-in-command of a unit and/or a station if necessary.
To progress to the rank of inspector, a station sergeant must undergo the same application process as other junior officers. The rank badge of a station sergeant is the Hong Kong Police badge surrounded by a wreath worn in the centre of the shoulder strap.
A distinctive feature of the uniform of a station sergeant is that they wear the white shirt typically worn by commissioned officers as opposed to the cornflower blue
Cornflower blue
Cornflower blue, a shade of azure, is a shade of light blue with relatively little green compared to blue. This color was one of the favorites of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, the other being yellow....
or dodger blue
Dodger blue
Dodger blue is a shade of the color blue named for its use in the uniform of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is also a web color used in the design of web pages...
shirts worn by sergeants and all ranks below. However, those who are acting to become a station sergeant may be required to wear the blue shirts with station sergeant insignia.