Ranks of the Italian police forces

The ranks of the Italian police force can be military or civil depending on the type of organization. The Carabinieri are part of the armed forces , but primarily take on general police duties . The Guardia di Finanza is also organized militarily as the finance, customs and border police of the Ministry of Finance . The members of the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Finanza therefore have military ranks . This also applies to the Coast Guard , which formally belongs to the Navy , but is in fact an independent organization with police tasks and is subordinate to the Ministry of Transport .

All other police forces in Italy have civil ranks.

National Police Forces

Careers

In Italy , career and grade groups were reformed in the mid-1990s. The equivalent of the simple service previously common in Germany also disappeared, but not through the complete abolition of the corresponding official titles or ranks, but through career-related shifts and the tightening of the conditions for employment. Thus the Italian equivalent of the higher service today covers all officer ranks and their civilian counterparts. The elevated service in Italy now includes NCOs with portepee and their civilian equivalents. Non-commissioned officers and the ranks of the crew form the equivalent of the middle service .

The Corpo Forestale dello Stato (State Forest Police) was dissolved in 2016 and most of its staff was taken over by the Carabinieri. The forest police authorities of the autonomous regions of Italy continue to exist. These regional forest police were built on the model of the CFS. The former CFS ranks are still given here for historical reasons.

The rank badges of the Polizia di Stato and those of the Polizia Penitenziaria were renewed in 2019. The badges of these two civilian police forces are still almost identical, but now differ greatly from those of the military police forces.

Higher career

Carabinieri	Guardia di Finanza	Polizia di Stato	Polizia Penitenziaria	Corpo Forestale dello Stato
Generals ( Ufficiali generali)		Conductors (D irigenti )
Generale di Corpo d'Armata (is) Lieutenant General in a special position - General Commander of the Carabinieri	Generale di Corpo d'Armata (is) Lieutenant General in a special position - General Commander of the GdF	No badge No uniform Direttore Generale Pubblica Sicurezza - Capo della Polizia Director General for Public Security - Chief of Police	No badge No uniform Capo Dipartimento Amministrazione Penitenziaria Chief of the prison administration	No equivalent
Generale di Corpo d'Armata Lieutenant General	Generale di Corpo d'Armata Lieutenant General	No badge No uniform Conductor Generale (B) Ministerial Director	No equivalent	No equivalent
Generale di Divisione Major General	Generale di Divisione Major General	Conductor Generals / General Police Conductor Ministerial Conductor (B 7)	No equivalent	Direttore Generale CFS Head of the CFS
Generale di Brigata Brigadier General	Generale di Brigata Brigadier General	Conductor Superiore / Higher Police Conductor Ministerial Conductor	Badge is missing Conductor Superiore Ministerialdirigent	Conductor Superiore Ministerial Conductor
Senior officers ( Ufficiali superiori)
Colonnello Colonel	Colonnello Colonel	Primo Conductor / Chief Police Conductor Chief Police Director	Badge missing Primo Conductor Chief Justice Director	Primo Conductor Chief Forest Director
		Commissioners ( Commissari)
Tenente Colonnello Lieutenant Colonel	Tenente Colonnello Lieutenant Colonel	Vice Questore / Vice Superintendent of Police Chief Superintendent	Badge missing Commissario Coordinatore Judicial Director Superior Justice Council of Justice	Vice Questore aggiunto Forestale Forestry Director Forstoberrat forest advice
Maggiore Major	Maggiore Major	Vice Questore Aggiunto / Assistant Vice Police Director Police Council
NCOs (Ufficiali inferiori)
Capitano captain	Capitano captain	Commissario Capo / Chief Commissioner Police Chief Commissioner	Badge missing Commissario Capo judicial officer	Commissario Capo Forestale Forestry Officer
Subaltern officer ( Ufficiali subalterni)
Tenente lieutenant	Tenente lieutenant	Commissario / Commissioner Chief Police Commissioner	Badge missing Commissario Chief Justice Inspector	Commissario Forestale ( ruolo ordinario ) High Commissioner (training only) Commissario Forestale ( ruolo direttivo speciale ) Chief Forest Inspector (promoted)
Sottotenente lieutenant	Sottotenente lieutenant	Vice Commissario (ruolo direttivo speciale) Police Commissioner (promoted)	Badge missing Vice Commissario Justice Inspector	Vice Commissario Forestale Forest Inspector (promoted)

Like the other branches of the armed forces, police forces with military status either train their officer candidates themselves, or they employ university graduates directly as specialists if there is a particular need. In the first case, the entry requirement is the general university entrance qualification , in the second case a master's degree . Prospective officers of the Carabinieri initially attend the Accademia Militare di Modena for two years and receive the rank of lieutenant after successful completion . This was followed by three years at the Carabinieri officers' school in Rome and promotion to first lieutenant . After their first assignments, they take on leadership roles as captains , often as company commander . As such, they are responsible for several subordinate Carabinieri stations. Graduates from civil universities who are hired directly as specialists receive the rank of lieutenant or first lieutenant as part of a shortened training course. The same applies to the Guardia di Finanza , which trains its officers at its own academies in Bergamo and Castel Porziano near Rome. The rank of lieutenant ( police commissioner ) is practically only used in training, the first lieutenant ( police chief commissioner ) de facto only serves as practical preparation for higher tasks.

Since 2004, the civilian police have no longer offered their offspring for the “higher service” their own undergraduate degree . These polices provide graduates of civilian colleges directly, provided they have a master (usually in law have), making them at the Scuola Superiore di Polizia or at the Istituto Superiore di Studi penitenziari in one to two years, until they have a training master gain. In the past, during their training they were “Vice Commissioner” (then Chief Commissioner), then “Commissioner” (Main Commissioner). In the course of career reforms, these two ranks were downgraded by one grade and reserved for police officers of the lower grade who create a promotion promotion.

Upscale career

Carabinieri	Guardia di Finanza	Polizia di Stato	Polizia Penitenziaria	Corpo Forestale dello Stato
Inspectors - Marshals (Ispettori - Marescialli)		Inspectors (inspettori)
Luogotenente Oberstabsfeldwebel	Luogotenente Oberstabsfeldwebel	Ispettore Superiore - Sostituto Commissario Police Chief Master (with official allowance)	Badge missing Ispettore Superiore - Sostituto Commissario Chief Justice Secretary (with official allowance)	Ispettore Superiore Scelto Chief Forest Secretary (with official allowance)
Maresciallo Maggiore Sergeant Major	Maresciallo Aiutante Sergeant Major	Ispettore Superiore / Higher Inspector Police Chief Master (with official allowance)	Badge is missing Ispettore Superiore Chief Justice Secretary (with official position)	Ispettore Superiore Chief Forest Secretary (with official allowance)
Maresciallo Capo Sergeant Major	Maresciallo Capo Sergeant Major	Ispettore Capo / Chief Inspector Police Chief Master (with official allowance)	Badge missing Ispettore Capo Chief Justice Secretary (with official allowance)	Ispettore Capo Chief Forest Secretary (with official allowance)
Maresciallo Ordinario Staff Sergeant	Maresciallo Ordinario Staff Sergeant	Ispettore / Inspector Police Chief Master	Badge missing Ispettore Chief Justice	Ispettore Chief Forest Secretary
Maresciallo Sergeant Major	Maresciallo Sergeant Major	Vice Ispettore / Vice Inspector Police Chief Master	Badge missing Vice Ispettore General Secretary of Justice	Vice Ispettore Chief Forest Secretary

Until the 1990s, NCOs with and without portepee and their civilian equivalents formed the middle career, which one could only advance to in the police force from a simple career. With the career reforms, the higher NCOs were decoupled from the other NCOs and access conditions were tightened. The university entrance qualification is required for the now planned direct entry into this new, upscale career . The training includes a three-year university course at a non-commissioned officer or police school ( Bachelor ). Afterwards, the members of this career take on specialist and then management tasks, for example as station commanders. Members of the middle career can be promoted to probation provided they meet the school requirements. A promotion promotion from the upper to the higher career is also possible.

The ranks of the higher career in Italy are equated with the German police chief (with official allowance), the staff sergeant and senior staff sergeant , as the latter are paid according to A9 (Z) and form the gear office with the German high service. A non-commissioned officer of the upper Italian career takes on the duties of a lieutenant or police commissioner (both A9), but does not have their status ( officer ).

Medium career

Carabinieri	Guardia di Finanza	Polizia di Stato	Polizia Penitenziaria	Corpo Forestale dello Stato
Supervisors (Sovrintendenti - Brigadieri)		Supervisor ( Sovrintendente)
Brigadiers Capo qualifica speciale Sergeant Major	Badge Missing Brigadiers Capo qualifica speciale Hauptfeldwebel	Sovrintendente capo coordinatore Chief Police Officer	Badge is missing Sovrintendente Capo Attorney General	Sovrintendente Capo / Chief Forestry Supervisor
Brigadiers Capo Sergeant Major	Brigadiers Capo Sergeant Major	Sovrintendente Capo / Chief Police Officer Chief Police Officer
Brigadiers Oberfeldwebel Sergeant	Brigadiers Oberfeldwebel Sergeant	Sovrintendente / Police Master Police Master	Badge is missing Sovrintendente Justice Secretary	Sovrintendente / Forest Master Forest Secretary
Vice Brigadier Staff Sergeant NCO	Vice Brigadier Staff Sergeant NCO	Vice Sovrintendente / Vice Police Master Police Master	Badge missing Vice Sovrintendente Justice Secretary	Vice Sovrintendente / Vice forester forestry secretary
Carabinieri		Assistants and agents (assistenti ed agenti)
Appuntato Scelto upper Stabsgefreiter	Appuntato Scelto upper Stabsgefreiter	Assistant Capo / Main Assistant Police Chief Sergeant	Badge is missing Assistant Capo Justice Chief Sergeant	Assistant capo / main assistant main sergeant
Appuntato upper Stabsgefreiter	Appuntato upper Stabsgefreiter	Assistant Police Chief Sergeant	Badge is missing Assistant Justice Sergeant	Assistant to the main constable
Carabiniere Scelto Stabsgefreiter	Financiers Scelto Stabsgefreiter	Agente Scelto / top cop police sergeant	Badge missing Agente Scelto Justice Oberwachtmeister	Agent Scelto / Oberforstgehilfe Oberwachtmeister
Carabiniere Corporal	Finance corporal	Agent / Policeman Police Officer	Badge is missing from the agent justizoberwachtmeister	Agent / forest assistant Oberwachtmeister

With the decoupling and upgrading of the higher non-commissioned officers, the other non-commissioned officers and the crews and their civilian counterparts were combined to form the new middle career. The simple career disappeared with the police because their lowest ranks were equated with the corporal in the army , navy and air force . The basic service in the armed forces (in the narrower sense) is made up of the lowest team ranks (up to corporal corporal ), which are intended exclusively for regular soldiers . In order to be able to enter the middle career with the national police force in Italy, one must previously have been a regular (“simple service”) in the army, navy or air force.

general overview

The following overview compares the civil and military (police) ranks of Italy and Germany, taking into account the differences in career law presented. The ranks of the Bundeswehr are included here, not only to make terminological comparison easier, but also because comparisons of military ranks in NATO are regulated by a standardization agreement ( STANAG 2116). The corresponding abbreviations OF and OR stand for Officers (officers) and Other Ranks (other ranks ). This system, in conjunction with the German grades, allows an unambiguous comparison. On the German side, the grades are also given, since the highest German police ranks can only be compared with German and Italian generals according to the stars. For the sake of uniformity, the official designations of the German Federal Police are used here , which in general also correspond to those of the state police .

Polizia di Stato / Polizia Penitenziaria	Official titles of the Federal Police	Carabinieri / Guardia di Finanza	Ranks of the Bundeswehr
General and civil equivalents
Direttore Generale della Pubblica Sicurezza	President of the Federal Police Headquarters (B 9)	Generale di Corpo d'Armata (is) (OF-9)	( Lieutenant General ) ( Occupation position ) ( General ) (OF-9 / B9 Z / B 10)
Conductor Generals (B)	Vice President at the Federal Police Headquarters (B 6)	Generale di Corpo d'Armata (OF-8)	Lieutenant General (OF-8 / B 9)
Conducting generals	President of a Federal Police Directorate (B 4)	Generale di Divisione (OF-7)	Major General (OF-7 / B 7)
Conductor Superiore (Questore)	Director in the Federal Police (B 3)	Generale di Brigata (OF-6)	Brigadier General (OF-6 / B 6)
Staff officers and civil equivalents
Primo Conductor (Vice Questore Vicario)	Chief Police Director (A 16)	Colonnello (OF-5)	Colonel (OF-5 / B3, A 16)
Vice Questore	Police Director , Chief Police Officer (A15, A14)	Tenente Colonnello (OF-4)	Lieutenant Colonel (OF-4 / A 15, A 14)
Vice Questore Aggiunto, Commissario Coordinatore	Police Council (A 13)	Maggiore (OF-3)	Major (OF-3 / A 13)
Senior officers and civil equivalents
Commissario Capo	( First ) Police Chief Inspector (A 13 – A 11)	Capitano (OF-2)	Captain (OF-2 / A 12, A 11)
Commissario (promoted, otherwise training)	Police High Commissioner (A 10)	Tenente (OF-1)	First Lieutenant (OF-1 / A 10)
Vice Commissario (Promotion Officer)	Police Commissioner (A 9)	Sottotenente (OF-1)	Lieutenant (OF-1 / A 9)
Senior NCOs and Civil Correspondences
Ispettore Superiore - Sostituto Commissario	Police chief (A 9 with official allowance)	Luogoten Duck (OR-9)	Sergeant Major (OR-9 / A 9Z)
Ispettore Superiore	Police chief (A9 with official allowance)	Maresciallo Maggiore (OR-9)	Sergeant Major (OR-9 / A 9Z)
Ispettore Capo	Police chief (A 9 with official allowance)	Maresciallo Capo (OR-9)	Oberstabsfeldwebel (OR-9 / A9 Z)
Ispettore	Police Chief Master (A9)	Maresciallo Ordinario (OR-8)	Staff Sergeant (OR-8 / A 9)
Vice Ispettore	Police Chief Master (A9)	Maresciallo (OR-8)	Staff Sergeant (OR-8 / A 9)
Other NCOs and civil equivalents
Sovrintendente Capo	Chief Police Officer (A 8)	Brigadiers Capo (OR-7)	Hauptfeldwebel (OR-7 / A 8Z)
Sovrintendente	Police Master (A 7)	Brigadiers (OR-6)	Oberfeldwebel Sergeant (OR-6 / A 7Z, A 7)
Vice Sovrintendente	Police Master (A7)	Vice Brigadiers (OR-5)	Staff NCO , NCO (OR-5 / A 7-A 5)
Teams and civil equivalents
Assistant Capo	(Police sergeant major)	Appuntato Scelto (OR-4)	Oberstabsgefreiter (OR-4 / A 5Z)
Assistant	(Police sergeant major)	Appuntato (OR-4)	Corporal Corporal (OR-4 / A 5Z)
Agent Scelto	(Police sergeant major)	Carabiniere / Financier Scelto (OR-4)	Corporal (OR-4 / A 5)
Agent	(Police sergeant major)	Carabiniere / Financier (OR-4)	Corporal (OR-4 / A 5)

The Coast Guard is officially not a national police force in the strict sense, but an organization that, among other things, takes on police duties. The ranks correspond to the ranks of the Navy .

Community police

Since the regions of Italy provide the legal framework for the municipal and city police, the ranks are usually regionally uniform. Often they are based on national police organizations in terms of their official titles and badges, but have lower ranks. In addition, the highest ranks given here are not in use in smaller communities. The ranks of Tuscany and Lombardy are shown below as examples .

Ranks of the Municipal Police in Tuscany
Epaulette
Rank	Conductor (provincial capital)	Conductor	Commissario	Ispettore	Sovrintendente	Assistant Capo	Assistant	Agent Scelto	Agent

Ranks of the municipal police in Lombardy
Epaulette
Rank	Conducting generals	Conductor Superiore	Conductor	Commissario Capo	Commissario	Commissario Aggiunto	Specialista di Vigilanza	Agent Istruttore	Agent

Forest services in areas with special statutes

The areas with a special statute, i.e. the provinces of Bolzano and Trento and the regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Sardinia, Sicily and Aosta each have their own forest service. This falls under the autonomous responsibilities of the local administration there and continued to exist in all of the areas mentioned despite the dissolution of the state forest service CFS. It is usually abbreviated with CFP (Corpo Forestale Provinciale) or CFR (Corpo Forestale Regionale) or with the abbreviation of the province (CFBZ e.g. BZ for Bozen). The ranks used are almost identical to those of the state forest service: the title and design of the badges have largely been adopted. However, there are few differences: among other things. several deleted ranks (including the Agente Forestale Scelto) in Trentino and an official German or French translation of the ranks in South Tyrol / Aosta. The dress code is also strongly based on the CFS, a difference in South Tyrol is that the rank badge is worn in a square shape on the left chest and no longer - as it used to be - primarily in a rectangular shape on the shoulder. The eagle is still used as a symbol in every forest service, but in South Tyrol the letters RI (Republic of Italy) have been removed from the symbol, in Aosta a completely separate logo was designed with the eagle. The table below shows the ranks of the CFP of the Province of Bolzano. Rank badges for the forest councils and directors were not listed in the official source, so they do not appear to be in use.

Ranks of the Landesforstkorps Südtirol (CFBZ)
description	Forest Guard, V. Functional Level				Forester, VI. Functional level			Forest inspector, VII. Functional level				Forestry Councilor, IX. Functional level
badge												Not specified in source	Not specified in source	Not specified in source	Not specified in source
Rank: German	Forest warden	Forest guard	Forest ranger	Forest Supervisor	Forester's representative	ranger	Chief Forester	Deputy Forest Inspector	Forest inspector	Chief Forest Inspector	Chief Forest Inspector	Forestry deputy	Forestry Council	Oberforstrat	Forest Director
Rank: Italian	Agent forestale	Agent forestale scelto	Assistant forestale	Assistant forestale capo	Vice sovrintendente forestale	Sovrintendente forestale	Sovrintendente forestale capo	Vice ispettore forestale	Ispettore forestale	Ispettore forestale capo	Ispettore forestale superior	Vice Commissario Forestale	Commissario forestale	Commissario capo forestale	Questore forestale

Local police in South Tyrol

The local police is the name of the "Polizia Locale" of the autonomous province of Bolzano-South Tyrol. Local police officers are employees of a single municipality, but usually also control several other municipalities, to which part of the costs are passed on. As is customary for the Province of South Tyrol, the ranks are remunerated according to the functional levels. The careers here are almost identical to those of the State Police, and the design of the badges was similar to the old State Police series. There is no equivalent for the ranks of general in the local police, the highest rank is that of colonello / colonel. In contrast to the state police, the local police use military designations for the higher ranks.

Officers, VIII. Functional Level
major	Lieutenant colonel	Colonel
Maggiore	Tenente Colonello	Colonello

Officers, VII. Functional level
lieutenant	First lieutenant	Captain
Sottotenente	Tenente	Capitano

Police inspectors, VI. Functional level
Deputy Inspector	inspector	Chief inspector	Chief Inspector	Senior Inspector Deputy Lieutenant
Vice inspettore	Inspettore	Inspettore Capo	Inspettore Superiore	Inspettore Superiore Luogotentene

Police Master, V. Functional Level
Deputy Chief of Police	Police chief	Chief Police Officer
Vice Sovrintendente	Sovrintendente	Sovrintendente Capo

Police officers and assistants, V. Functional level
Police officer	Chief Police Officer	Police assistant	Chief Police Assistant
Agent	Agent Scelto	Assistant	Assistant Capo

See also

• Official titles of the Federal Police
• Ranks of the Austrian security executive
• Ranks of the Zurich City Police
• Ranks of the Italian armed forces

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} standardized terms in German: Terminological Directory No. 4 (A.Bl. Of July 22, 1997, No. 32) ; bistro
2. ↑ Like the Guardia di Finanza , the Carabinieri do not know any real four-star general who in Italy is reserved exclusively for the Chief of Staff of the armed forces. This is a lieutenant general whose fourth “functional star” represents the prominent service position. The chiefs of staff of the other branches of the armed forces also have this fourth star, outlined in red. The head of the state police, who has no uniform, is on the same level as these generals; as director general for public security and national police coordinator, he is da facto primus inter pares .
3. ^ Law regulating forest services in the Province of Trentino. Government of the Province of Trentino, accessed May 2, 2020 . 
4. ↑ Südtiroler Informatik AG | Informatica Alto Adige SPA: National Forest Corps | Forest Service and Forester | State administration | Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol. Retrieved September 29, 2019 . 
5. ↑ Ranks of the local police. City of Bozen, accessed on November 14, 2019 (de-it). 

Web links

• Decreto Legislativo 29 maggio 2017, n.95, Tabella G (Articolo 45, comma 14)
• Carabinieri ranks
• Guardia di Finanza ranks
• Ranks of the Polizia di Stato
• Ranks of the Polizia Penitenziaria
• Municipal Police ranks in Tuscany