Jump to content

Police commissioner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Abeg92 (talk | contribs) at 21:21, 23 January 2021 (→Duties and functions: would love to see a citation for this). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Police commissioner (also known as the commissioner of police) is a senior rank in many police forces.

Rank insignia of police commissioner

Duties and functions

Police commissioners may be experienced police officers, though some are politically appointed, or elected,[1] and may not actually be sworn police officers.[2][3][4] In such a cases, there is usually a professional chief of police in charge of day-to-day operations. In either event, commissioners is the designated heads of the organizations.[5]

In police services of the UK, Commonwealth and USA, the title of commissioner may designate the head of an entire police force, or a member of an oversight board of police commissioners.[6][7][8]

In France, Italy, Spain and some Latin American countries, "commissioner" denotes the head of a single police station (analogous to a superintendent in UK and Commonwealth countries).[9][10]

Police commissioner by country

Australia

The Australian Federal Police and the autonomous Australian state and territory police forces are each presided over by a commissioner, who is accountable to constituents through a minister of state. The state of Victoria at one time (during the 19th-century Gold Rush) appointed commissioners for both the metropolitan area and the goldfields. Outranking both was a "chief commissioner"—a title which has survived the disappearance of the earlier junior commissioners. In Victoria, as elsewhere, the second-highest rank is deputy commissioner.[11]

The insignia of rank worn by a commissioner in the Australian Federal Police and the New South Wales Police Force is a crown over a star and crossed and wreathed tipstaves, similar to the insignia of a military full general. In all other civilian forces, the insignia is a crown over crossed and wreathed tipstaves, similar to the insignia of a military lieutenant-general.[12]

Canada

In Canada, the highest-ranking officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and of the Ontario Provincial Police holds the rank of commissioner.[13][14] In the province of Alberta, the Police Act requires the municipality to appoint police commissioners that are required to provide public oversight of the police. In Alberta's capital city, Edmonton, there are nine commissioners, including two city councillors and seven city-appointed members, the object being to "provide civilian oversight for the police service".[15] The commissioners appoint and oversee a chief of police, to whom is delegated the day-to-day management of the force.[16]

France

In reference to the police of France and other French-speaking countries, the rank of commissaire is a rank equating to somewhere in between the British police ranks of superintendent and chief superintendent.[17] The rank above is called "divisional commissioner". This is sometimes equated to a chief superintendent, but can in some cases hold a similar function to a Deputy Chief Constable. A former intermediate rank of "principal commissioner" was abolished in 2006.

Germany

The second-highest career bracket in German law enforcement leads to the rank of police commissioner or Kommissar. Training encompasses 3 years in a police academy (graduating as Diplom-Verwaltungswirt or Bachelor of Public Administration). The highest possible rank within this career bracket is that of Erster Polizeihauptkommissar or Erster Kriminalhauptkommissar. The work of a Kommissar, in general, centers on investigation of felonies, depending on the branch of police and department he belongs to. Roughly equivalent to a British commissioner would be (Landes-) Polizeipräsident or Inspekteur der Polizei, titles that differ between police forces in Germany.[18]

Hong Kong

Main article: Commissioner of Police (Hong Kong)

The head of the Hong Kong Police (Royal Hong Kong Police Force 1969 to 30 June 1997) force has used this title since 1938.[19][20]

Iceland

The National Police of Iceland employs a National Commissioner (Template:Lang-is) (four-star-rank) that is the head of 15 districts across Iceland. The Commissioner is not an experienced police officer whatsoever, like most police chiefs in Iceland are educated lawyers, not experienced police officers.[21]

There are 15 districts in the Icelandic police, each district has a police chief of their own, but the National Commissioner is above them, the minister of interior Ólöf Nordal is in charge of law enforcement in Iceland.[22]

Ireland

The Garda Commissioner is the officer overseeing the Garda Síochána, the national police force.[23]

India

Police Commissioner of Pune, India, in 2010. Her insignia indicates her rank of DGP or Additional DGP.
Main article: List of police ranks in India

In India, the Commissioner of Police designation is held by different ranks of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers at different places. For example, it is held by a Director General of Police (DGP) in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai; by an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) rank officer in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Visakhapatnam, Lucknow, Gautam Budh Nagar and Surat etc.; by Inspector General of Police (IG rank) officer in Gurgaon, Pune, Nashik, Coimbatore, Madurai, Thane, Howrah, Siliguri, Trivandrum, Kochi by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG rank) officer in Bidhannagar etc.[24]

Indonesia

In the Indonesian National Police, there are four levels of commissioner: police grand commissioner (Komisaris Besar Polisi), police grand commissioner adjutant (Ajun Komisaris Besar Polisi), police commissioner (Komisaris Polisi), and police commissioner adjutant (Ajun Komisaris Polisi). Due to strong military influence in its history, even now police ranks can be compared to the ranks of the Indonesian military. The four commissioner ranks are equivalent to the Indonesian military ranks of colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, and captain, respectively.[25]

Italy

In the Italian Police, a commissioner (commissario) is the superintendent of a commissariato, a police station/detachment that can either serve an entire township of small or medium dimensions, or a limited area in a metropolitan city.[26]

Malaysia

In the Royal Malaysia Police, state of Sabah and Sarawak contingent are led by police commissioner than rest of the states in Malaysia, a special status for two states.[27]

Malta

In The Malta Police Force, the Commissioner of Police is the head of the Police Department, responsible for its entire management and control.[28] Since 2016, a Chief Executive Officer at The Malta Police Force was appointed, to work alongside the Commissioner of Police to implement the Police Force Vision.[29]

Mauritius

Main article: Commissioner of Police (Mauritius)

In the Republic of Mauritius, the Commissioner of Police (CP) is the head of the national law enforcement agency called the Mauritius Police Force (MPF) which is responsible for policing on mainland Mauritius, Rodrigues and other outer islands. The position of CP dates back to 1767 when Antoine Codère was the first Commissioner of Police.[30] The CP operates under the aegis of the Home Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Offic and the MPF employs around 12,500 police officers who are posted at the 8 Divisions and 14 Branches.[31]

Netherlands

The First Chief Commissioner is the head of the Netherlands Police. The Commissioner is appointed by the Crown, and report to the minister of Justice and Security. The commissioner is the highest ranking sworn police member in the country.[32]

New Zealand

The Commissioner of Police is the head of the New Zealand Police. The Commissioner is appointed for a three-year term by the Governor-General, and reports to the Minister of Police.[33] The position combines two functions, that of chief constable in charge of policing and cases, and chief executive responsible for assets and budgeting.[34] In military terms, the rank is equivalent to Lieutenant General.[35]

The Police Force Act 1886 split the police from the standing army and militia on 1 September 1886. Sir George Whitmore was appointed as the first commissioner, reporting to the Minister of Defence.[36] Early commissioners came from the United Kingdom with military or law enforcement experience, such as Walter Dinnie, who had served as Inspector at Scotland Yard.

In 2006, the commissioner was the highest paid person on the public payroll in New Zealand, earning $440,000.[37]

Nigeria

In Nigeria, a Commissioner of Police is the head of an entire State branch of the Nigerian Federal/ National Police Force.[38]

Poland

In Poland, a commissioner (komisarz) is a relatively low rank, directly above podkomisarz and below nadkomisarz, comparable to a lieutenant of the armed forces.[39]

Portugal

Historically, in the Civil Police of Portugal, a police commissioner (Template:Lang-pt) was a divisional commander in the Lisbon and Oporto police forces or the chief of a district police force in the other districts of the country. The chief of each of the Lisbon and Oporto police forces had the title of "commissioner general" (comissário-geral). With the reorganization of Civil Police and its transformation in the Public Security Police (PSP) in the 1930s, commissioner became a police rank in this force.[40]

Presently, commissioner is an officer rank in the PSP, roughly equivalent to the military rank of captain. It is above the rank of sub-commissioner and below that of sub-intendent. Commissioners usually have the role of second-in-command of PSP divisions commanded by sub-intendents.

The rank insignia of a commissioner consists in a dark blue epaulet with three PSP stars (silver six points stars with the "SP" monogram in the center).

Romania

In the Romanian Police, similarly to the French Police (see commissaire de police), the rank of commissioner (comisar) is equivalent to the British police rank of superintendent (see also Romanian police ranks).[41]

Spain

In Spain, a National Police commissioner is the chief of a police station. This rank is called comisario principal. There's a commissioner in the biggest cities and in smaller cities the chief of the police is headed by a superintendent. In the Civil Guard, this rank does not exist because it has a military organization. See National Police ranks and Civil Guard ranks[42]

United Kingdom

In England and Wales, outside of Greater London, police and crime commissioners are directly elected officials charged with securing efficient and effective policing of their police area. They are not warranted police officers, although they appoint and hold to account their chief constable. The first police and crime commissioners were elected in November 2012, with the lowest electorate turnout ever in England and Wales. Historically the title "commissioner" has denoted the professional chief police officer of certain police forces, and that is still the case within Greater London, with the Commissioner of the City of London Police and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. Both these commissioners are appointed, not elected, and since the 1950s have been career police officers (as opposed to the previous practice of appointing former British Army officers). Although they were technically justices of the peace until the 1970s,[43] the commissioners have always worn a similar uniform to police officers, and have been treated similarly in terms of pay and terms of service.[44]

United States

Some U.S. police agencies use the title "commissioner" for the head of the police department. The term may refer to:

See also

References

  1. ^ https://detroitmi.gov/government/boards/board-police-commissioners
  2. ^ https://www.stlouiscountypolice.com/Who-We-Are/Board-of-Police-Commissioners
  3. ^ https://www.kcpd.org/about/board-of-police-commissioners/
  4. ^ https://www.lapdonline.org/police_commission/content_basic_view/900
  5. ^ https://guides.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/nypd/Commissioners
  6. ^ https://ecode360.com/15586708
  7. ^ https://www.gov.uk/police-and-crime-commissioners
  8. ^ https://www.nacole.org/
  9. ^ https://www.interpol.int/en/Who-we-are/Member-countries/Europe/FRANCE
  10. ^ https://www.enp.eu/countries/spain/
  11. ^ https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/reece-kershaw-be-sworn-afp-commissioner
  12. ^ https://www.afp.gov.au/about-us/our-organisation/customs-and-traditions/afp-shoulder-patch-and-rank-insignia
  13. ^ https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/rcmp-executive
  14. ^ https://www.cacp.ca/index.html?asst_id=1781
  15. ^ Bylaw 14040: Edmonton Police Commission Bylaw Archived 2013-09-28 at the Wayback Machine at Edmonton Police Commission
  16. ^ Appointment of the Chief of Police Archived 2013-09-28 at the Wayback Machine at Edmonton Police Commission
  17. ^ https://www.cidj.com/metiers/commissaire-de-police
  18. ^ https://saint-claire.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/UK-German-Rank-Comparison.pdf
  19. ^ "China's State Council Appoints New Police Chief in Hong Kong". New York Times. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  20. ^ https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/772/eng/f04.htm
  21. ^ https://www.logreglan.is/english/
  22. ^ https://www.logreglan.is/english/
  23. ^ https://www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/offices-of-the-commissioner-deputy-commissioners-and-cao/#:~:text=Office%20of%20the%20Garda%20Commissioner,the%20activities%20of%20the%20Service.
  24. ^ https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/indian-police-service-ips-ranks-salary/
  25. ^ https://jhuliplanejados.com.br/forum/commissioner-police-8b2a76
  26. ^ https://www.hierarchystructure.com/italian-police-hierarchy/
  27. ^ https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/08/28/sarawak-police-will-assist-in-sabah-state-elections-if-required-says-bukit/1898158
  28. ^ "Commissioner of Police". pulizija.gov.mt. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  29. ^ "Position Of Chief Executive Officer At The Malta Police Force In The Ministry For Home Affairs And National Security". homeaffairs.gov.mt. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  30. ^ "History of MPF". Government of Mauritius. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  31. ^ "Distribution of MPF". Government of Mauritius. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  32. ^ https://www.government.nl/topics/police/organisation-of-the-dutch-police
  33. ^ "About us - Structure". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
  34. ^ "Govt appoints new Police Commissioner". The New Zealand Herald. 30 November 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  35. ^ "Insignia of rank". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
  36. ^ (Hill 1995, p. 7)
  37. ^ Thomson, Ainsley (5 April 2006). "Policeman on mission to restore confidence". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  38. ^ https://fas.org/irp/world/nigeria/npf.htm
  39. ^ https://jhuliplanejados.com.br/forum/commissioner-police-8b2a76
  40. ^ https://polis.osce.org/country-profiles/portugal
  41. ^ https://www.europol.europa.eu/partners-agreements/member-states/romania
  42. ^ https://polis.osce.org/country-profiles/spain
  43. ^ The Metropolitan Commissioner ceased to be a justice on 1 April 1974 (see section 20 (commencement)) by virtue of section 1(9)(a) of the Administration of Justice Act 1973 (as in para 10, Schedule 1 to the Act), and the City Commissioner ceased to be a justice before 1973 by Part 2 of Schedule 5 to the Justices of the Peace Act 1968.
  44. ^ https://www.apccs.police.uk/role-of-the-pcc/
  45. ^ "Board of Police Commissioners | Boards | City of Detroit MI". www.detroitmi.gov. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Police_commissioner&oldid=1002317109"