Police workforce and representative institutions Police ranks
Presently the police rank structure is set out in provisions of the Police Act 1996 ("the 1996 Act"), while the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 ("the 2011 Act") provides that there must be at least one of each of the chief officer ranks in every police force. See annex G for the current list of designated ranks and numbers of officers at each rank.
	In an oral statement on 22 July 2014 (House of Commons, Official Report, columns 1265 to 1277), the Home Secretary announced that she had asked the College of Policing to conduct a fundamental review of police leadership. The Leadership Review June 2015 report included a recommendation to review the rank and grading structures in policing, stating that "ranks and grades in policing may need to be reformed as we move towards policing based on greater levels of practitioner autonomy and expertise". The report highlighted that flatter structures can enable organisations to be more responsive and to communicate more effectively.
	The review is being led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council ("NPCC"), reporting to the College of Policing-led Leadership Review Oversight Group and is expected to report later in 2016.
	Section 47 will enable the review’s recommendations to be implemented and provide a more flexible model for policing by setting out rank structure in secondary rather than primary legislation. The ranks of constable and chief constable (or Commissioner in the case of the Metropolitan Police Service and City of London police) will continue to be provided for in primary legislation.