Police ranks in Canada

The police in Canada's ranks differ according to the different police forces and depend on different laws at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police[]

The rank system of the RCMP is partly a result of their origin as a paramilitary force. Upon its founding on February 1, 1920, the RCMP adopted the rank insignia of the Canadian Army (which in turn came from the British Army), which is almost identical to that of the current Canadian Army. Like in the military, the RCMP also has a distinction between commissioned and non-commissioned officers.^[1]^[2] The non-commissioned ranks are mostly based on military ranks (apart from constable). Non-commissioned officer ranks above staff sergeant resemble those that formerly existed in the Canadian Army but have since been replaced by warrant officers.^[3] The commissioned officer ranks, by contrast, use a set of non-military titles that are often used in Commonwealth police services. The number of higher ranks, like chief superintendent and a deputy commissioner, has been added to and increased since the formation of the force, while the lower commissioned rank of sub-inspector has been dropped.

Officers

	Commissioner			Superintendent		Inspector
Royal Canadian Mounted Police^[4] v
	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Assistant commissioner	Chief superintendent	Superintendent	Inspector
	Commissaire	Sous-commissaire	Commissaire adjoint	Surintendant principal	Surintendant	Inspecteur
Slip on rank slides

Others

	Non-commissioned officers						Constables	Depot
Royal Canadian Mounted Police^[4] v							No insignia
	Corps sergeant major	Sergeant major	Staff sergeant major	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Corporal	Constable	Cadet
	Sergent-major du corps	Sergent-major	Sergent-major d'état major	Sergent d'état-major	Sergent	Caporal	Gendarme	Cadet
Slip on rank slides

Parliamentary Protective Service[]

The PPS uses a similar ranks system to the RCMP, with the director being a chief superintendent on secondment from the RCMP.^[5] The officer-in-charge of PPS operations holds the rank of superintendent, team managers hold the rank of sergeant, supervisors hold the rank of corporal, and officers with no leadership responsibility hold the rank of constable.^[6]^[7]

Alberta[]

Alberta Sheriffs Branch[]

Peace officer ranks for the Alberta Sheriffs Branch:^[8]

Ranks	Chief sheriff	Deputy chief	Superintendent	Inspector	Branch sergeant major	Sergeant	Sheriff III FTO	Sheriff III	Sheriff II	Sheriff I
Insignia								No insignia	No insignia

Alberta Provincial Police[]

The Alberta Provincial Police was a police force active in Alberta, Canada, from 1917 until 1932.

Commissioner
Superintendent
Assistant superintendent
Inspector
Detective
Sergeant
Constable

Calgary Police Service[]

Rank	Chief	Deputy chief	Superintendent	Inspector	Regimental sergeant major	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Senior constable level 2	Senior constable level 1	Constable (classes 1 to 5)	Auxiliary (non-sworn)
Insignia										No insignia	No insignia
Insignia	Slip-on	Slip-on	Slip-on	Slip-on	Arm patch	Arm patch	Arm patch	Arm patch	Arm patch	No insignia	No insignia

Edmonton Police Service[]

Ranks^[9]	Chief of police	Deputy chief	Superintendent	Inspector	Corps sergeant major	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Senior constable	Constable
Insignia^[9]									No insignia

Lethbridge Police Service[]

Ranks	Chief of police	Deputy chief	Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Senior constable	Constable
Insignia							No insignia

British Columbia[]

British Columbia Sheriff Service[]

Ranks^[10]	Chief sheriff	Deputy chief	Superintendent		Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Deputy sheriff
Insignia

British Columbia Conservation Officer Service[]

Chief conservation officer
Deputy chief conservation officer
Inspector
Staff sergeant
Sergeant
Conservation officer

British Columbia Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement[]

No traditional ranking system outside of the ceremonial unit is in place.

Departmental sergeant major -
Troop sergeant - three chevrons
- one chevron

Metro Vancouver Transit Police[]

Rank	Chief officer	Deputy chief officer	Superintendent	Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Constable
Insignia

New Westminster Police Department[]

Rank	Chief constable	Deputy chief constable	Inspector	Staff Sergeant	Sergeant	Corporal	First class constable qualified	First class constable	Second class constable	Third class constable	Fourth class constable
Insignia

Vancouver Police Department[]

Rank^[11]	Chief constable	Deputy chief constable	Superintendent	Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Police constable 1st class/detective	Police constable 2nd class	Police constable 3rd class	Police constable 4th class
Insignia^[11]

Special municipal constable (traffic authority/jail guard/community safety personnel)

Manitoba[]

Winnipeg Police Service[]

Rank	Chief of police	Deputy chief of police	Superintendent	Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Detective sergeant / patrol sergeant	Senior constable	Constable
Insignia

New Brunswick[]

Newfoundland and Labrador[]

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary[]

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is the provincial police service for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Rank	Commanding officers		Senior officers		Police officers			Officers in training
Rank	Chief constable	Deputy chief	Superintendent	Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Constable	Cadet
Insignia

Newfoundland Ranger Force[]

The Newfoundland Ranger Force was the police force of the Dominion of Newfoundland before its confederation with Canada.

Chief ranger
Lieutenant
Inspector
Staff sergeant
Sergeant
Corporal
Ranger 1st class
Ranger 2nd class
Ranger 3rd class

Northwest Territories[]

Nova Scotia[]

Nunavut[]

Ontario[]

Ontario Provincial Police[]

Rank structure within the Ontario Provincial Police is paramilitary or quasi-military in nature, with several "non-commissioned" ranks leading to the "officer" ranks. Detective ranks fall laterally with the uniform ranks and is not a promotion above. Police constables in the OPP are uniquely known as "provincial constables."^[12]

Rank	Commissioner	Deputy commissioner	Chief superintendent	Superintendent	Inspector	Sergeant major	Staff sergeant / Detective staff sergeant	Sergeant / Detective sergeant	Provincial constable / Detective constable 1st to 4th class
Insignia (slip-on)
Insignia (shoulder board)

Title	Special constable	Special constable	Auxiliary constable
Insignia
Notes	GHQ security, Queen's Park security	Digital forensics, forensic investigators, court security, offender transport	Auxiliary policing program

Historic now defunct ranks:

Staff superintendent
Divisional inspector
Cadet

Toronto Police Service and York Regional Police[]

The rank insignia of the Toronto Police Service is similar to that used by police services elsewhere in Canada and in the United Kingdom, except that the usual "pips" are replaced by maple leaves. The St. Edward's Crown is found on insignia of staff sergeant, all superintendent ranks and all commanding officer ranks. The same rank insignia are also used by the York Regional Police.^[13]

Rank	Commanding officers		Senior officers				Police officers			Officers in training
Rank	Chief of police	Deputy chief of police	Staff superintendent	Superintendent	Staff inspector	Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Constable	Cadet
Insignia (slip-on)
Insignia (shoulder board)							Shoulder boards not used for these ranks

Ottawa Police Service[]

Rank	Commanding officers		Senior officers		Police officers
Rank	Chief of police	Deputy chief of police	Superintendent	Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	First class constable	Second class constable	Third class constable	First class constable
Insignia (slip-on)
Insignia (shoulder board)					Shoulder boards not used for these ranks

Peel Regional Police[]

Rank	Commanding officers		Senior officers				Police officers							Recruits
Rank	Chief of police	Deputy chief of police	Staff superintendent	Superintendent	Staff inspector (not currently in use)	Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Senior police constable	Police constable first class	Police constable second class	Police constable third class	Police constable fourth class	Police cadet
Insignia (slip-on)														No insignia
Insignia (shoulder board)							Shoulder boards not used for these ranks

Rank	Special constables
Rank	Special constable supervisor	Special constable
Insignia (slip-on)

Kingston Police[]

Rank	Commanding officers		Senior officers				Police officers
Rank	Chief of police	Deputy chief of police	Superintendent	Staff Inspector	Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Senior police constable	Constable
Insignia (slip-on)
Insignia (shoulder board)						Shoulder boards not used for these ranks

Cobourg Police Service[]

Rank	Commanding officers		Senior officers			Police officers
Rank	Chief of police	Deputy chief of police	Inspector	Staff sergeant	Sergeant	Constable
Insignia

Detective sergeant
Detective
Detective constable

Durham Regional Police Service[]

Chief of police
Deputy chief
Chief administrative officer
Superintendent
Inspector
Detective sergeant
Staff sergeant
Detective
Sergeant
Detective constable
Senior constable
Constable - 1st class
Constable - 2nd class
Constable - 3rd class
Constable - 4th class
Special court constables

Halton Regional Police Service[]

Chief of police
Deputy chief
Superintendent
Inspector
Staff sergeant / detective sergeant
Sergeant / detective
Police constable / detective constable

Waterloo Regional Police Service[]

Chief of police (crown and three maple leaves)
Deputy chief (crown and two maple leaves)
Superintendent (crown)
Inspector (two maple leaves)
Staff sergeant (crown and three chevrons)
Sergeant (three chevrons)
Constable

West Grey Police[]

Chief of police
Sergeant
Constable
Auxiliary constable

Prince Edward Island[]

Quebec[]

Sûreté du Québec[]

Ranks of Sûreté du Québec^[14]^[15]
General staff officers		Officers				Sub-Officers	Agents
Directeur general	Directeur adjoint	Inspecteur chef	Inspecteur	Capitaine	Lieutenant	Sergent	Chef d'equip	Agent
Director general of the SQ	Associate director	Chief inspector	Inspector	Captain	Lieutenant	Sergeant	Team leader	Constable
								No insignia

Kativik Regional Police[]

Ranks and insignia of the Kativik Regional Police Force are similar to those of Sûreté du Québec.

Ranks of Kativik Regional Police
Officers			Sub-Officers	Agents
Chef	Chef deputé	Capitaine	Sergent	Agent
Chief	Deputy Chief	Captain	Sergeant	Constable
				No insignia

Service de police de la Ville de Montréal[]

Ranks of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal:^[16]

Director (directeur)
Associate director (directeur-adjoint)
Assistant director (assistant-directeur)
Chief inspector (inspecteur chef)
Inspector (inspecteur)
Commander (commandant de quartier)
Lieutenant / detective lieutenant (lieutenant/lieutenant détective)
Quarter sergeant (sergent de quartier)
Sergeant / detective sergeant (sergent/sergent détective)
Senior constable (agent sénior)
Constable (agent)

Service de police de la Ville de Laval[]

Director (directeur)
Associate director (directeur-adjoint)
Assistant director (assistant-directeur)
Chief inspector (inspecteur chef)
Inspector (inspecteur)
Lieutenant / detective lieutenant (lieutenant/lieutenant détective)
Sergeant / detective sergeant (sergent/sergent détective)
Constable (agent)

Service de police de la Ville de Québec[]

Director (directeur)
Associate director (directeur-adjoint)
Lieutenant (lieutenant)
Sergeant (sergent)
Constable (agent)

Saskatchewan[]

Saskatchewan Provincial Police[]

The Saskatchewan Provincial Police was a police force in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan that existed from 1917 until 1928 under the Saskatchewan Provincial Police Act.^[17]

Chief of police
Deputy chief
Commissioner of police
Assistant commissioner
Inspector
Sergeant
Corporal
Constable

Saskatoon Police Service[]

Chief
Deputy chief
Superintendent
Inspector
Staff sergeant
Sergeant
Constable
Special constable

Yukon[]

Specialized police services[]

Niagara Parks Police Service[]

Chief of police
Inspector
Sergeant
Constable
Communications officer
Provincial offences officer

Toronto Community Housing Corporation Community Safety Unit[]

The is the law enforcement agency for Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC).

Chief special constable
Deputy chief special constable
Inspector (not currently in use)
Staff sergeant
Sergeant (platoon sergeant, field supervisor, administrative sergeant)
Corporal (field intelligence officer, instructors, community safety advisors)
Special constable
Provincial offences officer

Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service[]

The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service (NAPS) is the police agency for Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (NAN).

Chief of police
Deputy chief
Regional inspector / regional commander
Administrative sergeant
Staff sergeant
Sergeant (detective sergeant, road sergeant)
Constable (detective constable)

Transit Enforcement Unit[]

The Transit Enforcement Unit (TEU; formerly known as the Special Constable Services Department) is the transit law enforcement and corporate security unit of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in Toronto.

Chief special constable
Staff sergeant (patrol / system security / fare inspection / training and logistical support)
Sergeant (patrol / fare inspection / training and logistical support)
Special constable (patrol)
Protective services guard (security / revenue protection)
Fare inspector (provincial offences officer)

University of Toronto Campus Community Police Service[]

Director
Associate director
Staff sergeant
Sergeant (rank currently not in use)
Corporal (platoon / shift supervisor)
Special constables / constables (1st to 4th class)
Building patroller (security guard, not designated special constables)

Auxiliary police[]

Different Canadian auxiliary police programs use various ranks, including some of the following:

Auxiliary staff superintendent
Auxiliary superintendent
Auxiliary staff inspector
Auxiliary inspector
Auxiliary sergeant major
Auxiliary staff sergeant
Auxiliary sergeant
Auxiliary constable

Former police forces[]

North-West Mounted Police[]

References[]

^ "Organizational structure - Royal Canadian Mounted Police". Rcmp-grc.gc.ca. 2017-03-13. Archived from the original on 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
^ "Ranks of the Force". Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^ "Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP¨) / Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) / Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC)". uniforminsignia.org.
^ ^a ^b "Ranks of the Force". rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^ "The Service". Retrieved 13 May 2021.
^ Royal Canadian Mounted Police (1 March 2021). "MEDIA AVAILABILITY - 2021 International Women's Day". newswire.ca. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
^ "Agreement between the Parliamentary Protective Service and the Senate Protective Service Employees Association" (PDF). Retrieved 13 May 2021.
^ "Sub 3 - Sheriff, Security and Transport". Chr.alberta.ca. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
^ ^a ^b "2008 Edmonton Police Service and Edmonton Police Commission - Annual Report to the Community". 2008. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008.
^ "Deputy Sheriff Career Opportunities". gov.bc.ca. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^ ^a ^b "The Job | Vancouver Police Department". Vancouver.ca. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
^ "OPP Ranks". Retrieved 27 July 2021.
^ Toronto Police Service. "Toronto Police Service :: To Serve and Protect". Torontopolice.on.ca. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-06-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Grades à la Sûreté du Québec". Sûreté du Québec. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^ "Discover police work - Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal". SPVM. 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
^ http://www.qp.gov.sk.ca/documents/english/statutes/historical/1930-CH-79.pdf

[1] "Organizational structure - Royal Canadian Mounted Police". Rcmp-grc.gc.ca. 2017-03-13. Archived from the original on 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2017-05-03.

[2] "Ranks of the Force". Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2021.

[3] "Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP¨) / Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) / Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC)". uniforminsignia.org.

[Canada_RCMP-4] "Ranks of the Force". rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2021.

[5] "The Service". Retrieved 13 May 2021.

[6] Royal Canadian Mounted Police (1 March 2021). "MEDIA AVAILABILITY - 2021 International Women's Day". newswire.ca. Retrieved 13 May 2021.

[7] "Agreement between the Parliamentary Protective Service and the Senate Protective Service Employees Association" (PDF). Retrieved 13 May 2021.

[8] "Sub 3 - Sheriff, Security and Transport". Chr.alberta.ca. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2017-05-03.

[Edmonton-9] "2008 Edmonton Police Service and Edmonton Police Commission - Annual Report to the Community". 2008. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008.

[career-10] "Deputy Sheriff Career Opportunities". gov.bc.ca. Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 6 May 2018.

[Vancouver-11] "The Job | Vancouver Police Department". Vancouver.ca. Retrieved 3 May 2017.

[12] "OPP Ranks". Retrieved 27 July 2021.

[13] Toronto Police Service. "Toronto Police Service :: To Serve and Protect". Torontopolice.on.ca. Retrieved 2017-05-03.

[14] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-06-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[15] "Grades à la Sûreté du Québec". Sûreté du Québec. Retrieved 25 January 2021.

[16] "Discover police work - Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal". SPVM. 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-05-03.

[17] ttp://www.qp.gov.sk.ca/documents/english/statutes/historical/1930-CH-79.pdf

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v t Police forces by country
Africa	Algeria Burundi Cape Verde Egypt Ghana Kenya Liberia Morocco Niger Nigeria Rwanda Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Uganda Zimbabwe
Americas	Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Greenland Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela
Asia and Oceania	Afghanistan Australia Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Burma (Myanmar) Cambodia PR China Hong Kong Macau Cyprus India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan North Korea South Korea Kuwait Kurdistan Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Mongolia Nepal New Zealand Oman Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Syria Thailand Tajikistan East Timor Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen
Europe	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Faroe Islands Finland France Georgia Germany Gibraltar Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Scotland Northern Ireland England and Wales
Non-recognized	Kosovo Northern Cyprus Somaliland Republic of China (Taiwan)
Defunct	Albania (Royal Albanian Gendarmerie) Czechoslovakia East Germany Polish People's Republic Soviet Union Yugoslavia (SFR Yugoslavia)

v t Customs services by country
Africa	Botswana Ghana Kenya Mauritius Nigeria Rwanda Somalia South Africa Tanzania Uganda Zimbabwe
Asia	Bangladesh China Mainland Hong Kong India Indonesia Israel South Korea Laos Lebanon Malaysia Nepal Oman Pakistan Philippines Singapore Sri Lanka Republic of China (Taiwan) Thailand Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates
Europe	Akrotiri and Dhekelia Albania Armenia Azerbaijan Estonia Finland France Germany ZFA ZKA ZOLL ZUZ Gibraltar Guernsey Iceland Ireland Italy Agencies Enforcement Jersey Liechtenstein Lithuania Netherlands Norway Poland Romania Russia Spain Sweden Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City
North America	Bahamas Canada Mexico United States
Oceania	Australia New Zealand
South America	Argentina Brazil Colombia Agency Enforcement Peru
International	World Customs Organization European Union
Non-recognized	Somaliland
Defunct	Australia (till 2009) Imperial China Imperial France United Kingdom HM Customs (till 1909) HM Customs and Excise (till 2005) United States (till 2003)