It might seem a bit early to be thinking about promotion, but the police service for most people is a career, not just a job, and it's worth knowing about how and when you could get promoted.

	The first rank above Police Constable is that of Sergeant. A sergeant is the first-line supervisor, often with responsibiity for a small team of people - consisting not necessarily just of PCs but also maybe including PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) and Police Staff (civilian employees).
	The next rank above Sergeant is Inspector. Officers at Inspector rank are responsible usually for supervising a small group of Sergeants and usually take more of a 'strategic', rather than operational, role. An Inspector has many statutory responsibilities in law with respect to various powers and actions which they can authorise.

'Acting' and 'Temporary' Promotion

It's possible to be promoted on a short-term basis. This is usually done to cover for roles where there is no Sergeant or Inspector available to perform the role, due to annual leave or other abstractions. It's surprisingly common. It's a great way to gain experience in the next rank up and is also an opportunity for senior management to see how you'd do if promoted.

There are two types - 'acting' and 'temporary' (somewhat confusingly). In both cases you wear the insignia of the rank (stripes or pips) and undertake the responsibilities of the role.

'Acting' duties tend to be for a fixed period of time, sometimes as little as a few days, and usually no longer than a few months. Acting ranks must perform 14 days duty before the increased pay kicks in, and then get paid the higher rank's pay only on duty days (in other words, an Acting Sergeant doesn't get paid Sergeant's money on days off). 'Temporary' duties are longer-term and tend to be open-ended in duration.

'Temporary' ranks get paid the appropriate salary straight away and all the time (e.g. even if off sick or on annual leave).

In theory, only qualified officers (Part 1 or Part 1+2, see 'OSPRE' below) should perform acting duties, but in practice any suitable officer can 'act up'. Temporary duties should only be performed by officers qualified to at least Part 1 level.

OSPRE

The promotion process for PC to Sergeant or Sergeant to Inspector is broadly the same and is called 'OSPRE', standing for Objective Structured Performance-Related Examination. Introduced in 1991 the OSPRE promotion process consists of two formal exams, one six months after the other, and known as Part 1 and Part 2.

Part 1

The Part 1 exam is a three hour, multi-choice exam with 150 questions, testing the candidate's knowledge of law and procedure. The syllabus is almost identical for the Sergeants' or Inspectors' exam, although to pass the Inspectors' exam the candidate must attain a higher pass mark.

The Sergeant's Part 1 exam is usually held in March of each year. You apply for your Part 1 provided that by November of the year you take the exam, you've served at least two years and been confirmed in rank as a PC. In practice this means you could take the exam as early as 2 years after appointment. The Inspector's Part 1 exam is six months later.

Part 2

The Part 2 exam is a role-playing exam, designed to test the candidate's ability to resolve problems at the appropriate rank. During the exam, candidates receive a booklet with preparatory information for seven different scenarios, and have 45 minutes to prepare. Once this time is up, candidates meet seven different role actors, for five minutes each. During this short time they must question and interact with the role actor, and come up with solutions for the issues presented. The candidate's performance is marked by a trained assessor who sits in the room at the same time. Part 2 tests a number of competencies, which are almost the same for Sergeants and Inspectors (Inspectors have one additional competency). The Sergeant's Part 2 exam is usually held in September each year.

On passing your Part 1, you must take Part 2 in the same year. You have up to 3 attempts to pass Part 2. If you fail on the third attempt, you 'lose' your Part 1 pass and must retake Part 1.

Further Steps to Promotion

Once you've gained both Part 1 and Part , you're then qualified for promotion - but not yet promoted! Your force then selects from the pool of qualified PCs/Sergeants as and when vacancies arise. However it might be that you also need to formally apply for a post (typically a long written application form where you must demonstrate your achievement in certain competencies, based on your experience at your current rank) and then sit a formal interview or 'board'. A board usually consists of three senior officers who will ask you questions around a number of key competency areas.

Workplace Assessment

Some forces are trialling a scheme which bypasses the need to take and pass Part 2. in these forces (for example the Met, which calls this 'TOWBAR'), you are promoted on a 'temporary' basis and then over the next six months to a year must gather evidence of your competency in the rank. You are formally assessed throughout the period and if successful are fully promoted (made 'substantive' in the rank).

More Information:

• More information on rank structure in the police service
  
• You can see pay scales for Sergeants and Inspectors
• Police Oracle's pages on the OSPRE promotion process , including syllabus material
  
• A'Day in the Life' of a Police Sergeant (links to Avon & Somerset Constabulary website)