Station inspector

A Station Inspector is a Commonwealth police rank. They are the senior ranking officer at a police station. They are the equivalent of the captain of a police precinct in the American police ranking system.

Singapore Police Force

Station Inspector (abbreviation: SI, Chinese: 驻署警长) is the third highest non-commissioned officer rank in the Singapore Police Force, below that of Senior Station Inspector, and above that of Senior Staff Sergeant.

London Metropolitan Police (1880-1949)

The term Station Inspector was originally used by the London Metropolitan Police from 1880 to 1949. It was the official title for Inspectors to distinguish them from the more senior Sub-Divisional Inspectors. Both ranks had one star (or "pip") as their insignia and their titles were considered appointments. The Sub-Divisional Inspector later received two stars in 1922 to reduce confusion between the two levels of command.

In 1936 the Junior Station Inspector rank was created for Metropolitan Police College cadets. To differentiate between the trainee rank and the appointed rank a new mark was created. One rectangular bar was placed under the star for a Junior Station Inspector and two rectangular bars was placed under the star for a full Station Inspector. The rank of Junior Station Inspector was abolished in 1938 and the Metropolitan Police College was closed in 1939. The insignia for Junior Station Inspector were used until 1941, when the last graduates who held the rank had been through their probationary period.

In 1941 the rank of Temporary or Probationary Inspector was granted one "pip" (like an Army Second Lieutenant), the rank of Station Inspector received two "pips" (like an Army Lieutenant) and Sub-Divisional Inspector received three "pips" (like an Army Captain). In 1949 the Inspector ranks were reorganized. The rank of Station Inspector was changed to Inspector and the rank of Sub-Divisional Inspector was changed to Chief Inspector.

Rank	Years Active	Rank Insignia Used	Rank	Years Active	Rank Insignia Used
			Junior Station Inspector	1936-1941
Station Inspector	1880-1936 1941-1949		Station Inspector	1936-1941
Sub-Divisional Inspector	1880-1922		Sub-Divisional Inspector	1922-1949

See also

• Officer in Charge (Police)
• Junior Station Inspector rank (Hendon Police College)
• Police ranks of the United Kingdom