Inspector
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- This is about the police rank/position. For the use in graphical user interfaces, see Inspector window.
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts.
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[edit] Police
Inspector is a rank in many police forces. However, it is not the same (equivalent) rank in each.
[edit] Canada
In most Canadian police services the rank of Inspector is the first above the sergeant ranks. It is usually immediately below the rank of Superintendent.
[edit] France
In the French National Police, Inspecteur is a former rank of members of the Command and Management Corps. There were several grades of Inspecteur, with senior detectives holding the various grades of Commissaire. See French National Police for current ranks.
[edit] India
In the police forces of India, an Inspector is a police officer ranking above a Sub-Inspector and below an Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) - also known as CO (circle officer) or SDPO (Sub divisional police officer) in certain states.Both of them hold three stars (RANK BADGE) but the difference is that DSP's stars are without a blue and red band at the edge of the shoulder while the inspector's rank badges have a blue and red band on the edge which shows that the Inspector is a non-gazetted rank (known as Non-Commissioned in certain countries). Inspectors generally command major police stations, whereas DSP/CO/SDPO commands a group of police stations known as a "police circle" (hence the popularly used abbreviation CI Circle Inspector) or CO (Circle officer).
[edit] Republic of Ireland
In the Garda Síochána, Inspector is senior to Sergeant and junior to Superintendent. Inspectors can be either detectives or in uniform.
[edit] Romania
In the Romanian Police, Inspector is a rank senior to Subinspector and junior to Inspector principal and corresponds to the former rank of Police Lieutenant (see Romanian Police#Ranks).
[edit] United Kingdom
In British police forces, Inspector is the rank senior to Sergeant and junior to Chief Inspector. Contrary to popular belief, inspectors are not all detectives; in fact, the majority of inspectors are uniformed. Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inspectors are known as Detective Inspectors (DI). Many Commonwealth police forces also use the rank. An Inspector in the United Kingdom is approximately equivalent to a Lieutenant in other police forces. The rank has existed since the foundation of the Metropolitan Police in 1829, when it ranked directly below Superintendent. Police Constables and Sergeants often refer to, and sometimes (especially in the CID) address, Inspectors as "Gaffer" (generally North and Midlands), "Guv" (generally South) or "Boss".
[edit] United States
In the United States, the term inspector can have very different meanings depending on the law enforcement agency. For example, in the San Francisco Police Department, Inspector is the normal title for a detective, and the investigative branch of the SFPD is called the Bureau of Inspectors. In the Berkeley, California, Police Department, Inspector was once the title used for an investigative supervisor, who commanded a specific specialized detail, like Homicide, Robbery, or Property Crimes, within the department's Detective Division. They ranked between sergeants and lieutenants and, on the comparatively rare occasions when they wore uniforms, their rank insignia was identical to that worn by warrant officers in the US Armed Forces. The title has since been phased out, and the duties once performed by inspectors are now performed by detective sergeants. In the Hayward, California Police Department, the rank of inspector is a civil service rank above a detective and below that of a sergeant. In the New York City Police Department, Inspector is a high-ranking executive position, two grades above a Captain, and one grade above a Deputy Inspector. In the LAPD, the rank of Inspector, one grade above captain, was changed to Commander in 1974, because LAPD senior officers preferred the more military-sounding title. In the FBI, an Inspector is a special agent whose main duty is inspecting local Field Offices and Resident Agencies to make sure they are operating efficiently. Since FBI Inspectors are not tied to any particular Field Office, they have, in the past, also been used as trouble-shooting investigators on major cases. (Such as the fictional character Inspector Lew Erskine, played by Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in the 1965-1974 ABC TV series The FBI.) The United States Marshals Service employs a similar position.
[edit] Malaysia
In Malaysia's police force, the rank Inspector is one step above the Sub-Inspector and one step under Assistant Superintendent. There are three stages:
- Probation inspector (3 years probation)
- Inspector
- Chief inspector
Inspectors are recruited differently from the normal police constable. Their training is also longer.
[edit] Administrative law
In administrative law, an inspector is an official charged with the duty to issue permits, such as a building inspector or sanitation inspector, and to enforce the relevant regulations and laws. An agency may have an Inspector General responsible for preventing internal fraud, waste, abuse and other agency deficiencies.
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