Chief constable

Chief Constableis therankused by thechief police officerof everyterritorial police force in the United Kingdomexcept for theCity of London Policeand theMetropolitan Police,as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, theBritish Transport Police,Ministry of Defence Police,andCivil Nuclear Constabulary.The title is also held by the chief officers of the principalCrown Dependencypolice forces (theIsle of Man Constabulary,States of Guernsey Police Service,andStates of Jersey Police) and theSovereign Base Areas Policein Cyprus. The title was also held,ex officio,by the president of theAssociation of Chief Police Officersunder thePolice Reform Act 2002.It was also the title of the chief officer of theRoyal Parks Constabularyuntil this agency was disbanded in 2004.

Throughout the United Kingdom and Crown Dependencies there are currently fifty chief constables. These consist of the chief officers of 37 English territorial forces outside London, four Welsh territorial forces, the Police Service of Scotland, thePolice Service of Northern Ireland,three special national forces and three Crown Dependency constabularies.

The chief officers of some police departments in Canada also hold the title of chief constable.

History

The title is derived from the original localparish constablesof the 18th century and earlier.Constableandconstabularywere terms adopted in an attempt to provide a historical link with the older forces – the term is derived from the Latincomes stabuli(keeper of the stables)– and to emphasise local control. Much of the debate about policing in the early 19th century, when modern police forces were introduced in theUnited Kingdom,concerned fears that the new forces might becomeparamilitaryagents of central government control. To this day otherBritish police ranks,such asinspectorandsuperintendent,are determinedly non-paramilitary – only policesergeantshold a quasi-military rank and even then the term sergeant had long existed as a non-military officer of subordinate rank.

TheCounty Police Act 1839gave the counties ofEngland and Walesthe opportunity to establish full-time police forces, headed by a chief constable who was appointed by thejustices of the peaceof the county. The first county to implement this wasWiltshire Constabulary,which appointedCaptainSamuel MeredithRNits first chief constable on 28 November 1839.Other counties followed this pattern; for instance,Essexappointed its first chief constable on 11 February 1840.

Originally, most borough police forces were commanded by ahead constable,although this rank was superseded by chief constable in most forces in the later 19th century and early 20th century and was almost completely abolished by thePolice Act 1919.Liverpool City Policewas the only large force to retain it until then.

The first woman to hold the rank of chief constable was Pauline Clare, appointed Chief Constable of theLancashire Constabularyon 14 June 1995.

Characteristics of office

Chief Constable

The population of areas for which chief constables are responsible varies from under a hundred thousand to two or three million, and it is commonplace for chief constables for larger force areas to be drawn from the chief constables of smaller forces. A chief constable has no senior officer. Prior to 2012, a chief constable was responsible to apolice authority.InEngland and Wales,the chief constable is now appointed by and accountable to thePolice and Crime Commissionerof their service, or to anelected mayor,who may also dismiss the chief constable.

The chief constable's badge of rank, worn on theepaulettes,consists of crossedtipstaffsin alaurel wreath,surmounted by a crown.This is similar to the insignia of alieutenant-generalin the British Army, and is also worn by anassistant commissionerin theMetropolitan Police.

The chief constable is assisted by adeputy chief constable(DCC) and one or moreassistant chief constables(ACC). The chief constable, DCC and ACCs are collectively known as the "chief officers" of a force.

Salaries

The salaries of chief constables vary from force to force, primarily on the basis of the population of their force's territory, but the amounts are fixed centrally. As of 2022, the highest paid is the chief constable of thePolice Service of Northern Ireland,on £230,000, in recognition of the unique security challenges and political sensitivity of that office. Other salaries range from £181,455 in theWest MidlandsandGreater Manchester,down to £127,017 inCentral Scotland.TheCommissioner of the Metropolitan Policeand theirdeputyare paid significantly more than any chief constable, partly because the Metropolitan Police has national anti-terrorism and security duties that overlap with other local forces, but also because the Metropolitan Police is by far the largest force in the country. As of 2011, the commissioner earns an annual salary of £260,088, whilst their deputy earns £214,722.

Metropolitan Police

InLondon,theMetropolitan Policeand theCity of London Policeare led bycommissionersrather than chief constables. Chief constable was, however, a lower rank in the Metropolitan Police which existed between 1886 and 1946.

In 1869, thedivisionsof the Metropolitan Police were grouped into four districts, and four new officers calleddistrict superintendentswere appointed to command them, ranking between thedivisional superintendentsand the twoassistant commissioners.These officers were to be generally military officers, civil servants or lawyers who were directly appointed to the rank. This caused a certain amount of concern, since some saw it as the creation of an "officer class" for the police, which had always been resisted. Their rank badge consisted of crossedtipstavesin a wreath.

In 1886, the rank of district superintendent was renamed chief constable, as it was decided that it could be confused with the divisional superintendents. Unlike their superiors, chief constables were actually sworn into the office ofconstable,hence the name. A fifth chief constable was later created in theCriminal Investigation Department.In 1919 the rank became junior to the new rank ofdeputy assistant commissioners,who took over the districts in 1933, with the chief constables remaining as their deputies until the latter rank was finally renameddeputy commanderin 1946.

See also

• Police ranks of the United Kingdom
• Law enforcement in Canada