Head constable was a rank used in some

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

British colonial The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

forces, and is still used in the Indian police.

England and Wales

Originally, head constable was the normal title for the chief officer of a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

police force in England and Wales. Throughout the later 19th century and early 20th century, this title was superseded by chief constable in most forces. A few smaller borough forces and the

Liverpool City Police Liverpool City Police was the police force operating in the city of Liverpool, England, established in 1836. In 1967, the force merged with Bootle Borough Police to create the Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary w ...

retained it until it was finally abolished under the

Police Act 1919 {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) The Police Act 1919 (9 & 10 Geo. 5, c.46) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom which set up an alternative dispute resolution system within UK labour law for collective disputes invol ...

. However,

Winchester City Police Winchester City Police was the police force of Winchester, Hampshire, England from 1832 to 1943. The City of Winchester became the first place in Hampshire to set up a police force, four years before any other part of the county, and seven years ...

appears to have retained the title until 1943, when it was amalgamated with

Hampshire Constabulary The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England.Hampshire Constabulary, 2012 Retrieved 27 April 2012 The force area inc ...

India

Head constable in the Indian police is equivalent to

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

in police forces in other countries. Head constables wear three point-down

chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * ''Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock lay ...

s on their sleeves or three bars on their

epaulette Epaulette (; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of military rank, rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''sh ...

s. In

Kerala Police The Kerala Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Kerala. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The motto of the force is "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye" which means "Soft in Temperamen ...

, the Senior Civil Police Officer (SCPO) holds the equivalent position of a head constable.

Ireland and colonial police forces

In the

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...

(until its reorganisation in 1970), and some colonial forces such as the

Palestine Police The Palestine Police Force was a British colonial police service established in Mandatory Palestine on 1 July 1920,Sinclair, 2006. when High Commissioner Sir Herbert Samuel's civil administration took over responsibility for security from Gener ...

, head constable was a rank between the sergeant and

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 ...

grades, roughly equivalent to a

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

in the Army. In colonial forces, it was usually a rank held by Europeans only. Some colonial forces also had a higher rank of head constable major.

References

Police ranks Royal Irish Constabulary Royal Ulster Constabulary Police ranks of India Police ranks in the United Kingdom {{law-enforcement-stub