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 that has survived the disappearance of the earlier junior commissioners. In Victoria, as elsewhere, the second-highest rank is deputy commissioner. 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.
Brunei After the proclamation of the
1959 Constitution of Brunei, it was stated that a Commissioner of Police has to be appointed for the
Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF). The first commissioner was appointed on 29 September 1959, assuming command of the force. The Commissioner of Police, who oversees the RPB headquarters (the Commissioner's of Police Office) with assistance from the Deputy Commissioner of Police and Secretariat, reports directly to the
monarch.
Canada In Canada, the highest-ranking officer of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police and of the
Ontario Provincial Police holds the rank of commissioner. 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". The commissioners appoint and oversee a chief of police, to whom is delegated the day-to-day management of the force.
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. 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 three 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 to which he belongs, similar to the equivalent of an inspector in British-styled police forces. Roughly equivalent to a British commissioner would be
(Landes-) Polizeipräsident or
Inspekteur der Polizei, titles that differ between police forces in Germany.
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.
Iceland The
National Police of Iceland employs a national commissioner () (four-star-rank) that is the head of 15 districts across Iceland. The commissioner is not an experienced police officer. Most police chiefs in Iceland are educated lawyers, not experienced police officers. Of the 15 districts in the Icelandic police, each has its own police chief and is headed by the national commissioner. The minister of judicial affairs is in charge of law enforcement in Iceland.
India , India, in 2010: Her insignia indicates her rank of
Director General of Police or
Additional Director General of Police.|177x177px In India, the office of the
Commissioner of Police exists in cities and urban areas where the commissionerate system has been introduced by
state governments. A Commissioner of Police serves as the head of the metropolitan or city police force, and the rank of the officer holding this position varies by jurisdiction:
Directors General of Police (DGP) or
Additional Directors General of Police (ADGP) head large metropolitan forces,
Inspectors General of Police (IGP) may be in charge of medium-sized cities, while
Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIG) or
Superintendents of Police (SP) can head commissionerates in smaller cities. Compared with the
superintendent of police system in districts, Commissioners of Police are often vested with magisterial powers under state law. These may include the authority to impose prohibitory orders, regulate arms licences, grant permissions for public gatherings, and take preventive or emergency measures to maintain public order. In the district policing system, such powers are usually exercised by the
District Magistrate (DM). The extent of authority of a Commissioner of Police varies across states, as the commissionerate system is established by individual state legislations.
Indonesia In the
Indonesian National Police, the four levels of commissioner are police chief commissioner (
komisaris besar polisi), police deputy chief commissioner (
ajun komisaris besar polisi), police commissioner (
komisaris polisi), and police deputy commissioner (
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.
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.
Japan The Japanese
Prefectural police forces used this rank, and it was formerly known as
chief superintendent. The rank holders assumed the responsibility of being a chief of the prefectural police force. It was lower than a senior commissioner and higher than a
superintendent. The commissioner of police in Japan is equivalent to an army
major general.
Malaysia In the
Royal Malaysia Police, states of Sabah and Sarawak contingent are led by police commissioner than rest of the states in Malaysia, a special status for two states. Each department in the Royal Malaysian Police is led by a director who also holds the rank of commissioner.
Malta In the
Malta Police Force, the commissioner of police is the head of the police department, responsible for its entire management and control. 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.
Mauritius In the Republic of
Mauritius, the
commissioner of police 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 dates back to 1767, when Antoine Codère was the first commissioner of police. The commissioner operates under the aegis of the Home Affairs Division of the prime minister's office and the MPF employs around 12,500 police officers, who are posted at the eight divisions and 14 branches.
Netherlands The first chief commissioner is the head of the
National Police Corps. The commissioner is appointed by the Crown, and reports to the minister of
Justice and Security. The commissioner is the highest-ranking sworn police member in the country.
New Zealand The commissioner of police is the head of the
New Zealand Police. The commissioner is appointed for a five-year term by the
governor-general, and reports to the
minister of police. The position combines two functions, that of chief constable in charge of policing and cases, and
chief executive responsible for assets and budgeting. The rank insignia is a sword and a rectangular cylinder crossed over each other with a single crown above. In military terms, the rank is equivalent to
Lieutenant General. 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. 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. According to the
Public Service Commission, from 2021 to 2024 then Commissioner of Police, Andrew Coster received a yearly salary of $670,000, making him tied for the sixth-highest pay among public sector leaders.
Nigeria In
Nigeria, a commissioner of police is the head of an entire
state branch of the
Nigeria Police Force.
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. Presently, commissioner is an officer rank in the PSP, roughly equivalent to the military rank of captain. It is above the rank of subcommissioner and below that of superintendent. Commissioners usually have the role of second-in-command of PSP divisions commanded by subintendents. 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.
Spain In Spain, a
National Police commissioner is the chief of a
police station. This
rank is called
comisario principal. A commissioner exists 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.
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, the commissioners have always worn a similar uniform to police officers, and have been treated similarly in terms of pay and terms of service.
British Overseas Territories Several British overseas territories have police commissioners. This practice dates back to the 19th century, when police forces in then-British colonies were established on the lines of the Metropolitan Police. In larger colonies, title was used to denote officials responsible for policing urban regions or sub-divisions of police forces (as was the case in
India,
New South Wales,
Malaya,
Nigeria), usually being subordinate to a national or provincial Inspector-General of Police; whereas in smaller colonies, a Commissioner of Police was responsible for leading entire police forces (such as Brunei and most Caribbean colonies). Police forces in some colonies, such as
Hong Kong, started off with an
Inspector-General of Police which was later re-designated to Commissioner. The police forces of
Anguilla,
Bermuda, the
British Virgin Islands, the
Cayman Islands,
Gibraltar,
Montserrat and the
Turks and Caicos Islands are currently led by Commissioners of Police.
United States Some U.S. police agencies use the title "commissioner" for the head of a police department or state agency. The term may refer to: • The commanding officer of a police agency, such as for the
California Highway Patrol, the
Baltimore Police Department, and the
Metropolitan Police Department of St. Louis. • A civilian manager of a police agency, such as for the
New York City Police Department,
Boston Police Department, and
Nassau County Police Department. • A member of a board of civilians who oversee a police agency, such as for the
Los Angeles Police Department and
Detroit Police Department. ==See also==