Police Ranks
The Federal Police doesn't have a hierarchical relation with the Local Police. Instead, there is a functional connection between the two entities. Both the Federal and the Local Police are built up hierarchically, with the same ranks.
The rank insignia are rectangular plates that are worn on the left pocket flap of the uniform shirt, fleece, sweater, jacket, coat and/or bulletproof vest. On the right side pocket flap, a similar plate is worn, displaying the officer's name and a separating line with underneath the name of the force and/or unit the officer belongs to. In some cases (mostly commissioned officers) the function is displayed (e.g. "Commissioner-General). This plate also has orange/red (Federal Police), light blue (Local Police) or silver (General Inspection) lines, but mirrored, so that the lines are on the left side.
The color of the insignia and the officer's name, function/unit/force and the separating line depends on the cadre the officer belongs to. Silver is used for all auxiliary, base and middle ranks (up to Chief Inspector), gold is used for all officer ranks.
| Cadre | Rank | Rank insignia Federal Police | Rank insignia Local Police |
|---|---|---|---|
| Officer level
(commissioned officers) |
Chief Commissioner - Hoofdcommissaris - Commissaire Divisionnaire | ||
| Commissioner - Commissaris - Commissaire | |||
| Candidate Police Commissioner - Aspirant-Commissaris - Aspirant-Commissaire | |||
| Middle-level
(non-commissioned officers) |
Chief Inspector - Hoofdinspecteur - Inspecteur Principal
equal to sergeant |
||
| Candidate Chief Inspector - Aspirant-Hoofdinspecteur - Aspirant-Inspecteur Principal | |||
| Base-level
(troops) |
Inspector - Inspecteur - Inspecteur
base rank; full powers; equal to constable or officer |
||
| Candidate Inspector - Aspirant-Inspecteur - Aspirant-Inspecteur | |||
| Auxiliary level | (Auxiliary) Officer - Agent - Agent
only limited powers; not to be confused with constable or officer; formerly known as "auxiliary officer" |
||
| Candidate (Auxiliary) Officer - Aspirant-Agent - Aspirant-Agent |
Read more about this topic: Law Enforcement In Belgium
Famous quotes containing the words police and/or ranks:
“Consider the islands bearing the names of all the saints, bristling with forts like chestnut-burs, or Echinidæ, yet the police will not let a couple of Irishmen have a private sparring- match on one of them, as it is a government monopoly; all the great seaports are in a boxing attitude, and you must sail prudently between two tiers of stony knuckles before you come to feel the warmth of their breasts.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Money is a singular thing. It ranks with love as man’s greatest source of joy. And with death as his greatest source of anxiety. Over all history it has oppressed nearly all people in one of two ways: either it has been abundant and very unreliable, or reliable and very scarce.”
—John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908)