A collar number, also known as a shoulder number, Force Identification Number (FIN) or occasionally as Force Number (although this can also refer to ID number of a force itself), identifies police officers, Police Community Support Officers (PCSO), and some police staff in UK police forces. Although now displayed on epaulettes (i.e. on the shoulder), it is still commonly referred to as a collar number. Although most forces issue a collar number to all warranted officers, regardless of role, only uniformed officers of the ranks constable and sergeant actually display the numbers.
In most forces it is simply a one- to five-digit number, but in larger forces a letter code (also known as a Division Call Sign) may be added to indicate the officer's base area or unit. In some forces different types of staff (paid ('regular') police officers, Special Constables, PCSOs and other police staff) are assigned different ranges of numbers, so a person's role can be deduced from the number, but these systems are force specific and there is no national standard.
For the letters shown on riot helmets and the roofs of police vehicles, see Home Office radio callsigns.
Contents |
| Suffix code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A | Anti-Terrorism & Public Order (Dogs, Mounted, Traffic) (formerly Moor Lane) |
| B | Snow Hill |
| C | Bishopsgate |
| D | Specialist Crime Operations (formerly Cloak Lane) |
| E | Professional Development Unit |
| F | Economic Crime Department |
This changed in February 2009 when the City of London Police was divided into directorates rather than along the traditional divisional lines. The new shoulder number for all police officers was suffixed by 'CP' and the former department designations A-F ceased to exist for uniform purposes. Territorial Policing response officers now work out of Bishopsgate police station, some support services such as the Dogs and Mounted Unit are based at the Headquarters in Wood Street and community officers, PCSOs and various administrative services work from Snow Hill police station.
A number, followed by one or two letters indicating the station/sector, borough, or unit. Current practice favours use of borough codes rather than station codes (with the borough code generally taken from one of the borough's stations - see below - which can cause confusion).
Divisional area codes are still used to identify the areas themselves, together with the police station and vehicles (if any) nominally covering them, but not officers. So for example QY88 would be a panda car notionally assigned to Kingsbury, though it would actually be based at QD (i.e. Wembley, the nearest operational police station) and be crewed by officers whose collar numbers all contain the letters 'QK' (since they are counted as Brent officers regardless of which station they may happen to be based at).
A one or two digit number denotes a Sergeant, a three digit number denotes a Constable, a four digit number beginning with 5 denotes a Special Constable, unless they're attached to a 'Safer Transport' team, in which case the number will begin with an 8 and a four digit number beginning with 7 denotes a PCSO. Confusingly, MPS epaulettes display the letters over the digits, i.e. 81FH (a Sergeant based at Hammersmith) would show FH over 81 on his/her shoulder, which reads more like FH81 (the call sign of a panda car based there). Ranks above Sergeant do not have collar numbers - officers are identified by name (e.g. Inspector Smith, who may once have been just PC 123KG).
An exception to the above is the City of Westminster borough. Westminster has over 1500 officers therefore a three digit number system is too small. Until late 2009 constables and sergeants had four digit shoulder numbers beginning 1, 2, 3 or 4 (with the leading number signifying which part of the borough you were attached to - 1 Westminster North, 2 Westminster Central, 3 Westminster South or 4 Westminster HQ). With the amalgamation of Westminster Central and South in late 2009 the decision was taken to amalgamate all the shoulder numbers into one numbering system. All new officers joining the borough will be given the first available number and cross division moves will no longer result in the need for a new shoulder number.
Specialist MPS units do not necessarily follow any of the above numbering rules, with both Constables and Sergeants having anything from one to four digits.
All Metropolitan Police officers in uniform below the rank of Inspector are required to have their collar numbers on display at all times.[1] It is increasingly common for higher ranks to display their warrant numbers on their epaulettes in addition to their rank.
| Code | Specialist unit |
|---|---|
| CC | Central Communications Command (CO10) |
| CO | Central Operations (formerly Commissioner's Office) |
| D | Diplomatic Protection Group |
| ID | Heathrow Airport (now Aviation Security (CO18)) |
| TP | Operational Support Unit (MSC pan-london public order unit) |
| P | Parliament (CO7) |
| R | Royalty Protection Group |
| RO | Royal Parks |
| MXC | Specialist Crime Directorate |
| SO | Specialist Operations |
| ST | Safer Transport unit |
| L | Learning Directorate (training) |
| TD | Traffic Operational Command Unit - CO15 |
| TL | Transport Operational Command Unit - CO17 |
| U | Territorial Support Group (also known as 'Uniform' units after the spelling alphabet codeword for 'U'. ) |
| UD | Marine Support Unit |
| Borough | Sectors |
|---|---|
| KG Barking & Dagenham | KB Barking, KG Dagenham, KK Marks Gate |
| SX Barnet | SA Barnet, SX Colindale, SF Finchley, SG Golders Green, ST Whetstone |
| RY Bexley | RB Belvedere, RY Bexleyheath, RS Sidcup |
| QK Brent | QC Chalkhill, QH Harlesden, QK Kilburn, QD Wembley, QL Willesden Green, QY Kingsbury |
| PY Bromley | PB Beckenham, PH Biggin Hill, PC Chislehurst, PY Bromley, PN Orpington, PG Penge, PW West Wickham |
| EK Camden | ED Albany Street, EH Hampstead, EO Holborn, EK Kentish Town, EW West Hampstead |
| ZD Croydon | ZD Croydon, ZK Kenley, ZA New Addington, ZY Norbury, ZN South Norwood, ZP Purley (Since 2011) |
| XB Ealing | XA Acton, XD Ealing, XG Greenford, XI Hanwell, XP Northolt, XW Norwood Green, XS Southall |
| YE Enfield | YE Edmonton, YF Enfield, YP Ponders End, YS Southgate, YW Winchmore Hill, YC Cheshunt (now in Hertfordshire Constabulary) |
| RG Greenwich | RM Eltham, RG Greenwich, RA Plumstead, RT Thamesmead, RK Westcombe Park, RW Woolwich |
| GD Hackney | GH Hackney, GD Shoreditch, GN Stoke Newington |
| FH Hammersmith & Fulham | FF Fulham, FH Hammersmith, FS Shepherds Bush |
| YR Haringey | YR Hornsey, YM Muswell Hill, YA St Ann's, YT Tottenham, YD Wood Green |
| QA Harrow | QE Edgware, QA Harrow, QP Pinner, QW Wealdstone, QS West Street |
| KD Havering | KL Collier Row, KA Harold Hill, KC Hornchurch, KM Rainham, KD Romford, KU Upminster |
| XH Hillingdon | XF Harefield, XY Hayes, XH Hillingdon, XN Northwood, XR Ruislip, XE West Drayton |
| TX Hounslow | TB Brentford, TC Chiswick, TF Feltham, TX Hounslow |
| NI Islington | NH Holloway, NI Islington |
| BS Kensington & Chelsea | BC Chelsea, BD Kensington, BH Notting Hill |
| VK Kingston-Upon-Thames | VK Kingston, VN New Malden, VE/VS† Surbiton |
| LX Lambeth | LD Brixton, LC Cavendish, LN/LM† Clapham, LG Gipsy Hill, LK Kennington, LS Streatham |
| PL Lewisham | PK Brockley, PD Catford, PP Deptford, PL Lewisham, PS Sydenham |
| VW Merton | VM Mitcham, VR Morden, VW Wimbledon |
| KF Newham | KE East Ham, KF Forest Gate, KN North Woolwich, KW/KO† Plaistow, KS Stratford |
| JI Redbridge | JB Barkingside, JI Ilford, JN Wanstead, JF Woodford |
| TW Richmond Upon Thames | TR Richmond, TT Teddington, TW Twickenham |
| MD Southwark | MC Camberwell, ME East Dulwich, MM Peckham, MR Rotherhithe, MD Southwark, MS Walworth |
| ZT Sutton | ZT Sutton, ZW Wallington, ZR Worcester Park |
| HT Tower Hamlets | HW Bow, HT Bethnal Green / Whitechapel, HR Brick Lane, HI Isle of Dogs, HH Limehouse, HP Poplar |
| JC Waltham Forest | JC Chingford, JL Leyton, JS Leytonstone, JW Walthamstow, JK Walthamstow Market, JA Waltham Abbey (now in Essex) |
| WW Wandsworth | WA Battersea, WL Lavender Hill, WD Tooting, WW/WH Wandsworth (also includes the Putney Sector Office which replaced the previous Putney station which had the code WP †)[2] |
| CW Westminster | AB Belgravia, CX Charing Cross, DM Marylebone, DP Paddington, DR Harrow Road, DS St John's Wood, CD West End Central |
† Some authoritative sources (e.g. Police Almanac) are self-contradictory and incomplete
Not all of these stations are currently operational