Assistant superintendent, or assistant superintendent of police (ASP), is a

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

that was used by police forces in the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

and is still used in many police forces in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held by a European officer, most of whom joined the police at this rank. In the 20th century, it was in many territories opened to non-Europeans as well.

India

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) is still in use in India where the officer holding this rank is from

Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service ( IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Raj. Along with the Indian Administrative Service ( ...

. However, assistant superintendent of police is a probationary rank (till the second year of the career of an IPS officer) and is worn by officers when under training at SVPNPA. All IPS officers start their career as Assistant Superintendent of Police. State Cadre Officer cannot hold this rank. They hold Deputy Superintendent of Police rank which is equivalent to this rank.

The Bahamas

In the Royal Bahamas Police this rank is above inspector and below superintendent. An ASP wears three bath stars or pips on the shoulder.

Bangladesh

Assistant superintendents of police (ASP) are recruited through the competitive

Bangladesh Civil Service Bangladesh Civil Service ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সিভিল সার্ভিস ), more popularly known by its acronym BCS, is the civil service of Bangladesh. Civil service in the Indian subcontinent originated from the Imperial ...

(BCS) examination. They undergo a one-year-long training course at the

Bangladesh Police Academy Bangladesh Police Academy (BPA) is a 100-year-old police training institute. It is the Alma Mater of police training in Bangladesh. It is located 20 miles from Rajshahi City Corporation, Rajshahi City. Location Bangladesh Police Academy is locat ...

as probationary ASPs. After passing out from the academy, they undergo orientation training for six months at the district level as a probationer. After that they are appointed as fully-fledged ASPs in different units.

Nigeria

The Assistant Superintendent of Police in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

is selected by the head of the

Police Force The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

in a state, The Commissioner of Police, to eligible candidates that must have achieved the Inspector of Police rank. The level is directly below the Deputy Superintendent of Police rank, and is the sixth-lowest rank, above the Inspector of Police; Major Sergeant; Sergeant; Corporal; and the Constable. A student who graduate from then prestigious Nigeria police academy (a Police officers academic and training academy ) is commissioned into the Nigerian Police Force as an Assistant Superintendent of Police

Pakistan

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, an assistant superintendent of police is a selected through the Central Superior Services examination. An ASP is the entry level rank of the Police Service of Pakistan.

Sri Lanka

In the Sri Lanka Police Service, the rank of assistant superintendent of police (ASP) is a senior gazetted officer in Sri Lanka police. The rank is above the rank of chief inspector of police (CIP) and below a

superintendent of police Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territories ...

(SP). Generally an ASP would be in command of a group of police stations in a police division. Direct entry to the rank is possible for graduates while chief inspector of police (CIP) would be promoted as well. They are similar to the Commissioned officers in Armed forces, Sri Lanka

Singapore

In the

Singapore Police Force The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is the national and principal Police, law enforcement agency responsible for the prevention of crime and law enforcement in the Republic of Singapore. It is the country's lead agency against organised crime; huma ...

, ASP is the second lowest senior officer rank, immediately above an

inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

and below a deputy superintendent of police. New police officer cadets holding university degrees graduate from the Home Team Academy as inspectors. In the National Police Cadet Corps, the rank of acting assistant superintendent of police (A/ASP (NPCC)) is given to

s who have not attained the rank of ASP (NPCC) but have been appointed as the officer commanding of their unit. The rank insignia of assistant superintendent of police and acting assistant superintendent of police is the same, with both wearing the Singapore coat of arms, with the letters 'NPCC' below it to differentiate NPCC ranks from Singapore Police Force ones. NPCC officers who hold the rank of assistant superintendent of police have a single row of silver braid on the peak of their cap (for males) or bowler hat (for females).

References

{{Reflist * https://web.archive.org/web/20091128044006/http://mahapolice.gov.in/mahapolice/jsp/temp/html/policerank.pdf * https://web.archive.org/web/20090228121335/http://police.gov.bn/ASP.html Police ranks Police ranks of Pakistan Police ranks of India Police ranks of Sri Lanka