Chief inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP).

Usage by country

Australia

The rank of chief inspector is used in the New South Wales Police and South Australia Police. Victoria Police declassified the rank in the mid-1990s. In both forces, it is senior to the rank of

inspector 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. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

and junior to the rank of superintendent. The insignia consists of a crown, the same insignia as that of a

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the army.

Canada

The Sûreté du Québec and the City of Montreal Police Service ('' Service de police de la Ville de Montréal'' or SPVM) utilize the rank of chief inspector. In both forces, the insignia consists of four gold stripes, similar to the former insignia of a colonel in the Canadian Army and Air Force. Until 1978, the SPVM used British-pattern insignia for the rank consisting of a crown over two pips, also utilizing the rank of assistant chief inspector (a crown over one pip). Both ranks were subsequently abolished. The rank of chief inspector was restored in the SPVM in 1995 and the current insignia adopted in 1997.

Hong Kong

In the Hong Kong Police Force, a chief inspector is normally the second-in-command of a headquarters unit or a division.

Japan

In the Japanese National Police Agency, a chief inspector (警部 keibu) serves as the squad commander in a police station and leader of a riot company. Prior to a 2013 restructuring that changed the English translation slightly, this rank was that of inspector.

Papua New Guinea

In the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, a chief inspector is normally a police station commander or the second-in-command of the Police Training College. It is a rank between senior inspector and superintendent.

Philippines

In the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, chief inspector is a rank in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Bureau of Fire Protection. It is above senior inspector and below superintendent and is regarded as the equivalent of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the Philippine Army.

Romania

In the Romanian Police, inspector principal is a rank senior to

and junior to ''Subcomisar'' and corresponds to the former rank of police captain.

Singapore

The rank has been abolished by the Singapore Police Force, except for the Gurkha Contingent.

Sri Lanka

In the Sri Lanka Police Service, chief inspector of Police (CIP) is senior to

and junior to assistant superintendent of police. In large cities, a chief inspector is the officer in charge (OIC) of a large police station. The rank insignia for a chief inspector is three stars.

United Kingdom

In the British police, a chief inspector is senior to an inspector and junior to a superintendent. Today, the function of chief inspectors varies from force to force. They may assist Basic Command Unit (BCU) commanders, command smaller units, or fill various staff posts. In some forces such as Hampshire Constabulary and

Sussex Police Sussex Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing in the whole of Sussex. Its jurisdiction covers the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. The force is headquartered in Malling House, Lewes, East Sussex. His ...

, the chief inspector is the senior officer in command of a district (usually consisting of one or more local authority areas). In this respect they have replaced superintendents as the head police officer of the larger towns. Detective chief inspector (DCI) is usually the minimum rank held by a senior investigating officer (SIO), who heads major investigations (e.g.

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

), and a pool of these officers usually works out of force headquarters or major police stations. The senior Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer in each BCU usually also holds this rank. The rank badge of a chief inspector is three

Bath stars The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

("pips") worn on the epaulettes. This is the same badge as a captain in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

. Until 1953, chief inspectors in the Metropolitan Police wore a crown on their epaulettes instead. Chief inspector was one of the ranks proposed for abolition in the 1994 Sheehy Report, but in the end it was retained. A number of city and burgh police forces in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

used the rank of lieutenant until 1948, when it was replaced by chief inspector.

Metropolitan Police

The rank was introduced into the

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

in 1868 and was first used by Adolphus Williamson, the first head of the Detective Branch (later the Criminal Investigation Department). When Williamson was promoted to superintendent shortly afterwards, three of his

s were promoted to chief inspector and the rank was firmly established. In 1869 it was also introduced as a uniformed rank, with the senior assistant to the divisional superintendent being given the rank. The rank subsequently spread to other police forces. From 1933, every Metropolitan Police division had two chief inspectors: chief inspector (administration) and chief inspector (crime) (the latter also being a uniformed administrative officer and not replacing the divisional detective inspector (DDI)). From 1949, sub-divisional inspectors and DDIs were regraded as chief inspectors and current chief inspectors were regraded as superintendents. From 1953, chief inspectors commanding sub-divisions and detective chief inspectors commanding divisional CIDs were regraded as superintendents grade I, other chief inspectors were regraded as superintendents grade II, and a redefined rank of chief inspector was created for senior inspectors. Since 1974, the Metropolitan Police has only had one rank of superintendent, in common with the rest of the country. From January 1954, there was one superintendent grade I and one chief inspector in each sub-division, and one chief superintendent, one superintendent grade II and one detective superintendent grade I in each division. A detective chief inspector was added in each division later in 1954. It was announced in October 2016 that the rank (along with the rank of commander) would be phased out of the Metropolitan Police Service by October 2018; however, this plan has now been cancelled.

Salary

A chief inspector's starting salary is £58,332 or £60,654 if serving in London. After three years, it increases to £60,732 or £63,058 if serving in London.

Famous fictional characters

* DCI John Luther of the TV series '' Luther'' * DCI George Gently of the TV series '' Inspector George Gently'' * DCI Tom Mathias of the TV series '' Hinterland - Y Gwyll'' * DCI Claud Eustace Teal, in the novels and adaptations of Leslie Charteris' ''

Saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

'' series * DCI Reginald Wexford, in the eponymous series of novels by Ruth Rendell. * Chief Inspector Derek Conway of the TV series ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' * Chief Inspector

Eric Finch ''V for Vendetta'' is a British graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd (with additional art by Tony Weare). Initially published between 1982 and 1985 in black and white as an ongoing serial in the British anthol ...

, head of New Scotland Yard and Minister of Investigations in the ''V for Vendetta'' graphic novel * DCI

Endeavour Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–20 ...

of the Colin Dexter novels and the '' Inspector Morse'' television series * DCIs

Tom Barnaby Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Geoffrey "Tom" Barnaby (born 20 April 1943) is a fictional detective created by English writer Caroline Graham as the protagonist in her ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' novel series and adapted into one of the main ...

and John Barnaby of the Caroline Graham novels and the ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of I ...

'' television series * DCI Gene Hunt of the television series '' Life on Mars'' (set in 1973) and '' Ashes to Ashes'' (set between 1981 and 1983) * DCI

Sam Tyler DCI/DI Sam Tyler is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, ''Life on Mars''. In the original British version of ''Life on Mars'', Tyler is played by John Simm and in the American version he is played by Ja ...

of ''Life on Mars'' (although when he awakes in 1973 he is a DI, in 2006 he holds the rank of DCI) * DCI (later Detective Superintendent) Jane Tennison of the '' Prime Suspect'' television series * DCI Adam Dalgliesh of '' Cover Her Face'' by P.D. James (later Superintendent, Chief Superintendent, Commander) * DCI James Japp of the Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot novels and the television series '' Agatha Christie's Poirot'' * DCI Sharpe of the Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot part of the anime television series '' Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple'' * DCI (both formerly and later Superintendent) Jack Meadows of the TV series ''

'' * DCI Frank Burnside of the TV series ''

'' (in which he was a detective inspector) and his own series, '' Burnside'' * DCI Frank Haskins of the TV series ''

The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Ins ...

'' * DCI (previously Detective Inspector, later Superintendent) Barney Crozier of the TV series '' Bergerac'' * DCI Alan Banks of the Peter Robinson series of novels and the television series '' DCI Banks'' * DCI

Jim Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries "Killer" from 6 until 20 September 19 ...

of the TV series '' Taggart'' * DCI

Vera Stanhope Ann Cleeves (born 1954) is a British mystery crime writer. She wrote the Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez, and Matthew Venn series, all three of which have been adapted into TV shows. In 2006 she won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for her novel ''Rave ...

of the TV Series ''

Vera Vera may refer to: Names *Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarrag ...

'' * DCI

Thomas Nightingale ''Rivers of London'' (''Midnight Riot'' in the US) is the first novel in the '' Peter Grant series'' by English author Ben Aaronovitch. The novel was released on 10 January 2011 through Gollancz and was well received by critics, earning a Gala ...

of the Book '' Rivers of London'' * DCI

Gillian Murray Gillian may refer to: Places * Gillian Settlement, Arkansas, an unincorporated community People Gillian (variant Jillian) is an English feminine given name, frequently shortened to Gill. It originates as a feminine form of the name Julian, Julio ...

of the TV Series '' Scott & Bailey'' * DCI Tony Gates of the TV Series ''

Line of Duty ''Line of Duty'' is a British police procedural television series created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions. On 26 June 2012, BBC Two began to broadcast the first series; it was its best-performing drama series in ten years wit ...

'' * DCI Roseanne Huntley of the TV Series ''

'' * DCI Joanne Davidson of the TV series ''

'' * DCI

Richard Jury Richard Jury is a fictional character in a series of mystery novels written by Martha Grimes. Initially a chief inspector, later a superintendent, Jury is invariably assisted in his cases by Melrose Plant, a British aristocrat who has given up h ...

(later Superintendent) in several

Martha Grimes Martha Grimes (born May 2, 1931) is an American writer of detective fiction. She is best known for a series featuring Richard Jury, a Scotland Yard inspector, and Melrose Plant, an aristocrat turned amateur sleuth. Biography Grimes was born in ...

novels * DCI Sasha Miller of the TV Series '' New Tricks'' * DCI

Lestrade Detective Inspector G. Lestrade, or Mr. Lestrade ( or ), is a fictional character appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Lestrade's first appearance was in the first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel '' ...

of the TV series " Sherlock (TV series)" * DCI Cassandra 'Cassie' Stuart of the TV series '' Unforgotten'' * DCI Charles Parker of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels by Dorothy L. Sayers * DCI Karin Parke of the Black Mirror episode "Hated in the Nation" * DCI Karl Roebuck of the TV series ''

The Tunnel ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' * Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido of '' The Man in the High Castle (TV series)'' * DCI Amy Silva of the TV Series ''

Vigil (TV series) ''Vigil'' is a British police procedural drama television series created by Tom Edge and produced by World Productions. The series premiered on BBC One on 29 August 2021. The first series stars Suranne Jones, Rose Leslie, Shaun Evans, Pater ...

Footnotes

{{reflist Police ranks Police ranks in the United Kingdom Police ranks of Sri Lanka