Editing Commander (section)

===British police rank===
[[File:Met Commander Epaulette.svg|100px|right|thumb|Epaulette of a commander in the Metropolitan Police]]

Within the [[Law enforcement in the United Kingdom|British police]], Commander is a [[Chief police officer|chief officer]] rank in the two police forces responsible for law enforcement within [[London]], the [[Metropolitan Police]] and [[City of London Police]]. In both forces, the rank is senior to [[Chief Superintendent#United Kingdom|chief superintendent]]; in the Metropolitan Police it is junior to [[deputy assistant commissioner]] and in the City of London Police it is junior to [[Assistant Commissioner#United Kingdom|assistant commissioner]]. In forces outside London, the rank equates to [[Assistant Chief Constable|assistant chief constable]] which bears the same insignia.
[[File:COLP Commander SQ.svg|100px|right|thumb|Epaulette of a commander in the City of London Police]]
The Metropolitan Police introduced the rank in 1946, after the rank of deputy assistant commissioner was split in two, with senior DACs keeping that rank and title and junior DACs being regraded as commanders. The Metropolitan Police also used the rank of [[Deputy commander (Metropolitan Police)|deputy commander]], ranking just below that of commander, between 1946 and 1968.

Officers in charge of the twelve geographical [[Basic command unit|Basic Command Units]] are referred to as "BCU commander". However, the officers do not hold the rank of commander but instead hold the rank of chief superintendent. Prior to organisational change merging boroughs in to BCUs, officers in charge of policing each of the [[London borough|London's boroughs]] were given the title "borough commander".  A previous exception to this was the borough commander of [[Westminster]], who held the rank of commander due to the size, complexity, and high-profile nature of the borough.

The Metropolitan Police Service announced that by summer 2018 the rank would be phased out, along with that of [[chief inspector]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.met.police.uk/news/met-police-to-modernise-its-rank-structure-191284 |title="Met police to modernise its rank structure", MPS website |access-date=2016-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019142734/http://news.met.police.uk/news/met-police-to-modernise-its-rank-structure-191284 |archive-date=2016-10-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, in August 2017 it was announced that the new Commissioner [[Cressida Dick]] had cancelled the plan to phase them out.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.policeoracle.com/news/HR_personnel_and_staff_development/2017/Aug/17/met-cancels-plans-to-abolish-two-ranks_95557.html|title=Met cancels plan to abolish two ranks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825234448/https://www.policeoracle.com/news/HR_personnel_and_staff_development/2017/Aug/17/met-cancels-plans-to-abolish-two-ranks_95557.html|archive-date=2017-08-25|url-status=live|access-date=2017-08-25}}</ref>

The rank badge worn by a commander or an assistant chief constable consists of crossed [[tipstaff|tipstaves]] within a [[wreath]]. Within the Metropolitan Police Service, the tips of the tipstaves are blue and not red, unlike other forces. Until the abolition of the rank of deputy commander in 1968, however, a commander wore the same badge of rank as a deputy assistant commissioner.