Police inspector salary 2026/27
Inspector and chief inspector pay from 1 September 2026. These ranks have separate London scales and are not paid overtime.
Pay points
| Rank and point | Outside London | London | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspector, point 0 | £66,000 | £68,788 | £3,612 |
| Inspector, point 1 | £67,798 | £70,589 | £3,686 |
| Inspector, point 2 | £69,589 | £72,402 | £3,760 |
| Inspector, point 3 | £71,396 | £74,206 | £3,835 |
| Chief Inspector, point 1 | £72,806 | £75,619 | £3,893 |
| Chief Inspector, point 2 | £74,225 | £77,032 | £3,952 |
| Chief Inspector, point 3 | £75,709 | £78,510 | £4,014 |
Take-home is for outside London. Inspectors and chief inspectors do not get overtime, but are entitled to time off in lieu.
What an inspector takes home
These figures show the first inspector pay point, with the allowances that apply, and the top point outside London. Take-home is after tax, National Insurance and pension.
| Where | Total pay | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|
| Most forces, first point | £66,000 | £3,612 |
| Most forces, top point | £71,396 | £3,835 |
| South East (higher allowance), first point | £69,105 | £3,762 |
| Met or City of London, first point | £78,867 | £4,192 |
| Chief inspector, first point, most forces | £72,806 | £3,893 |
The Met figure uses the London inspector scale plus London Weighting and the maximum London Allowance. The London scale for inspectors and chief inspectors is higher than the national one because it builds in part of the London premium.
What you gain and lose compared with sergeant
A top-of-scale sergeant is on £58,175, and a first-point inspector on £66,000, which is £7,825 more a year before tax. In take-home that is about £327 a month. Inspectors lose overtime, rest day and public holiday payments, so a sergeant who regularly works extra hours can come out close to an inspector. A study reported in March 2026 found inspectors and chief inspectors work dozens of extra unpaid hours a month, and the entitlement is time off in lieu rather than pay. What you do keep is the on-call allowance of £35 a day and the unsocial hours allowance of 10% of your hourly rate for each full hour between 8pm and 6am, which apply up to chief inspector.
How to become an inspector
The National Police Promotion Framework has four steps. You must be a substantive sergeant who has been assessed as competent, pass the legal exam, be assessed in-force against the rank competencies and win a place in the promotion pool, and then complete temporary promotion with at least 12 months of work-based assessment. If you are temporarily promoted as an inspector you are treated as an inspector for pay and conditions, so you are not paid for rest days or bank holidays and are granted a day in lieu instead.
There is a Fast Track route from constable to inspector, run by the College of Policing. Forces select their own candidates, who then attend a national assessment centre that tests their ability to reach and perform competently as an inspector within two years. In 2026 the application window opened in May and the national assessment centre ran in September, with the first module starting in December. Forces decide how many places they offer, and participants must not already be on temporary promotion at step four.
See sergeant salary for the rank below and superintendent salary for the next step. Acting up pay explains how you are paid if you cover an inspector role before you are promoted.
What a police inspector does
Inspectors manage several teams of officers, often through their sergeants. On response, a duty inspector runs policing for an area on a shift and takes command of serious incidents. Others lead a neighbourhood area, a custody suite, an investigation team or a specialist unit. Chief inspectors manage larger areas or whole departments.
Typical duties
- Taking command at serious incidents and making early decisions on resources and risk.
- Authorising powers that need an inspector, such as some detention reviews and stop and search authorities.
- Managing performance, budgets, complaints and staffing across your area.
- Working with councils, health services and other partners on local problems.
How to get there
You need to be a substantive sergeant, pass the inspectors’ legal exam and your force’s selection, then complete a 12-month work-based assessment. You must also have served at least two years as a sergeant before being confirmed as an inspector. Some officers join the fast track programme from constable to inspector instead.
Pay and hours
Inspectors are not paid overtime. That is why the pay scale starts well above sergeant, and why it matters to compare take-home pay rather than the headline rise. Inspectors and chief inspectors in London are on their own higher scales.
Common questions
How long does it take to become an inspector?
You must serve at least two years as a substantive sergeant, pass the inspectors’ legal exam and complete a 12-month work-based assessment. Fast track schemes can be quicker.
How much does a police inspector earn?
£66,000 to £71,396 outside London and £68,788 to £74,206 in London from 1 September 2026.
Do police inspectors get overtime?
No. Inspectors and above are not paid overtime under police regulations.