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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 (BCUs), although some forces continue to refer to them as divisions. The term was and used in many other countries of the
British Empire 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 post ...
and
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with " republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from th ...
.


United Kingdom

The term has existed since the creation of police forces in the early 19th century. Most police forces were divided into divisions, usually commanded by a Superintendent. Divisions were usually divided into Sub-Divisions, commanded by Inspectors (or, in the Metropolitan Police, Sub-Divisional Inspectors, a higher rank). Some rural forces did not acquire this further organisational level until well into the 20th century, however. Sub-divisional commanders were later regraded as
Chief Inspector 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 ...
s in most forces. In London, divisions were later grouped together as districts, each commanded by a Chief Constable and later a Deputy Assistant Commissioner. Each division could cover a wide rural area, a substantial town, or a portion of a city, depending on the population (
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, for instance, was divided at one point into 67 Metropolitan Police divisions and sub-divisions and a further four City of London Police divisions). In 1949, the Metropolitan Police regraded its divisional commanders as Chief Superintendents and most other forces followed suit. With the reforms of the 1990s, sub-divisions and divisions acquired a variety of new names - for instance, in 1999 the Metropolitan Police replaced its divisions with "Borough Policing", whose boundaries were based on the 1965 London boroughs.'Borough Policing', in Martin Fido and Keith Skinner, ''The Official Encyclopedia of Scotland Yard'' (London; Virgin Books, 1999), pages 25


Metropolitan Police divisions, 1829–1999

1829 Later additions by formation date


Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Police Force divides its
territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...
into 23 divisions or districts, each reporting to one of the six regions.


India

In
India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, the equivalent to a division is a Police District. Policing in India is on a state basis, and every state is divided into a number of districts. Each district is headed by a Superintendent of Police. The district is subdivided into Sub Divisions, each commanded by a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Sub Divisions are further divided into Police Circles. In the case of a district including large cities, two separate police districts are created, known as the City Police District, headed by a Commissioner, and the Rural District Police, headed by a Superintendent.


Republic of Ireland

In the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
, the Garda Síochána divides its operational area into 23 divisions, which in turn report to one of six regions. Most, but not all of these divisions, are aligned to county borders. Each division is commanded by a Chief Superintendent. Divisions are further divided into districts, commanded by a Superintendent.


Singapore

The Singapore Police Force divides the city-state into seven divisions of varying physical sizes and population. These boundaries tend to be demarcated in terms of cases handled by observing criminal trends over time, instead of being based on area or population sizes alone.


Canada

A few police departments in Canada use divisions to represent stations or patrol areas, but some are a mix of operational and administrative units with the force. A few police agencies using divisions include: * Peel Regional Police - 5 (4 geographic and 1 operational) * Ottawa Police Service - 3 (geographic) * Edmonton Police Service - 5 (geographic) *
Halifax Regional Police The Halifax Regional Police (HRP) is one of a number of law enforcement agencies operating in the Halifax, Nova Scotia; the other primaries being the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Forces Military Police. The city also is home to a ...
- 4 (3 geographic and 1 operational) * Hamilton Police Service - 3 (geographic) * Toronto Police Service - 17 (geographic) *
Vancouver Police Department The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) (french: Service de police de Vancouver) is the police force for the City of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several police departments within the Greater Vancouver, Metro Vancouver Area ...
- 3 (operational) * Victoria Police Department - 6 (operational and administrative) *
Waterloo Regional Police Service The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) provides policing services for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, which encompasses the cities of Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge, as well as the townships of North Dumfrie ...
- 5 (geographic) * Winnipeg Police Service - 5 (geographic)


Notes


References

{{Terms for types of country subdivisions Types of geographical division