Inspector general

An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general".

This article is about the administrative office. For the Russian play by Nikolai Gogol, see The Government Inspector. For the Danny Kaye film, see The Inspector General (1949 film).

Bangladesh

The chief of police of Bangladesh is known as the inspector general of police. He is from the Bangladesh Civil Service police cadre. The current inspector general of police is A K M Shahidul Hoque, and his predecessor was Hassan Mahmud Khondokar. There is another temporary post of inspector general of police, known as Pulish Shômônnoyôk (Bengali: পুলিশ সমন্বয়ক্) or "police coordinator", currently held by Bivuti Vooshon Choudhury.

Canada

Before 1867 the position of Inspector General of Canada existed as the minister responsible for finances and government spending in the Province of Canada. After 1867 the position was assumed as the Minister of Finance. Alexander Galt served as the last Inspector General from 1858 to 1867 and the first Minister of Finance in 1867.

Colombia
Main article: Office of the Inspector General of Colombia

Colombia's inspector general is a unique post with broad powers to investigate government malfeasance and to bar public officials from running for office.[1]

France
Shoulder insignia of a police inspecteur général (France)

In the French Civil Service, an inspector general (inspecteur général) is a member of a body of civil servants known as inspection générale, generally of a high level, charged with a nationwide mission to inspect some specific services and provide government officials with advice regarding that service. For example:

  • Inspection Générale des Finances (IGF; Ministry of Finances)
  • Inspection Générale des Affaires Sociales (IGAS; Social Security)
  • Inspection générale de l'administration (IGA; various administrative departments, e.g. prefectures)
  • Inspection générale de l'Éducation Nationale (Ministry of National Education: teaching issues)
  • Inspection générale de l'administration de l'Éducation Nationale (ministries of National Education and Research: administrative issues)
  • French National Police internal affairs
    • Inspection générale de la Police Nationale (except Paris and close suburbs)
    • Inspection générale des services of the Prefecture of Police (Paris and surroundings).

The inspection générale des Finances is particularly prestigious as a job appointment after studies at the École Nationale d'Administration. In recent decades, many of its members have occupied various high positions in lieu of their traditional mission of inspection. The corps has come under increased criticism for this.

Germany

During World War II, Colonel General Heinz Guderian was appointed inspector general of armoured troops on 1 March 1943, reporting directly to Adolf Hitler.

Since the reestablishment of the German armed forces after World War II, the inspector general of the federal armed forces (Generalinspekteur der Bundeswehr) is the highest-ranking soldier, responsible for the overall military planning and the principal military advisor to the federal minister of defense and the federal government. Head of the Command Staff of the Armed Forces (Führungsstab der Streitkräfte), his position is broadly equivalent to that of the American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In the German federal police (Bundespolizei), the highest-ranking police officer is called inspector of the federal police as well, although this position is a more coordinating than commanding one. For all state alert police services there also exists an inspector (Inspekteur der Bereitschaftspolizeien der Länder). All of the sixteen German state police departements has an inspector, as the highest-ranking police officer. The state police presidents are normally not police officers, they are administration officials. The competence for police services in Germany is assigned to the federal states of Germany. The federal police is a coordinating police département with only a few competences, e.g. in border control or airport and trial security.

In the scope of responsibility of the state police departments the federal police can only act with permission or request of the local state police.

India
Insignia of an Indian Police Service officer with rank of inspector general of police

During the British rule in India, in 1861, the British Government introduced the Indian Councils Act 1861.[2] The act created a new cadre of police, called Superior Police Services, later known as the Indian Imperial Police.[2] The highest rank in the service was the Inspector General.[2]

Currently. in modern India, the inspector general of police or joint commissioner of police is a two-star rank officer and one of the most senior officers in the state police forces. All inspectors general and joint commissioners in state police forces are Indian Police Service officers. They are in some states the commissioner of police for the city, that is they head a police force for a particular city. Inspectors general in Central Armed Police Forces (BSF, CISF, CRPF, SSB, ITBP) are either Indian Police Service (IPS) officers or directly appointed gazetted officers (DAGOs), who are directly appointed Assistant Commandants (through UPSC entrance test from the year 2005 onwards). The rank insignia of an inspector general of police or joint commissioner of police is one star above a crossed sword and baton.

The Indian Coast Guard also has the rank of inspector general. The coast guard regions are commanded by officers of the rank of inspector general.

Norway

The army's inspector general (generalinspektøren for hæren—GIH) is the immediate superior of the commanding officer of special forces FSK.[3]

Pakistan

In Pakistan, the inspector general of police or provincial police officer is a three-star rank who heads the police force of a province. The inspector general of police (IGP) is a Police Service of Pakistan officer, appointed by the federal government with consent of the provincial chief minister. The rank insignia of an inspector general of police is the national emblem or one pip containing the national emblem above a crossed sword and baton worn on both shoulder flashes.

Poland

The office of General Inspector of the Armed Forces existed in the Second Polish Republic and was held by, among others, Józef Piłsudski.

Romania

In Romania, inspector general is the title given to the head of the Romanian Police, Romanian Border Police, Romanian Gendarmerie and the Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (whose central commands are called "general inspectorates").

Sweden

In the Swedish Armed Forces the inspector general (generalinspektör or truppslagsinspektör) was the highest official for a military branch or combat arm. The first arm to have an inspector general was the artillery where the Master-General of the Ordnance had this function since 1634. Inspector general of the cavalry and inspector general of the service troops was founded in the 19th century. The infantry did not get an inspector general until 1914. The engineer troops and signal troops followed in 1937 and a surgeon general in 1941. In 1941 the commander of the coastal artillery was also renamed inspector general of the coastal artillery.

In 1998 the previous inspectors general were abolished and the commanders of the major branches (army, air force and navy) was renamed "inspector general", renamed again to "branch inspector" in 2003 to resume the title commander in 2014.

Turkey

In Turkey the office of an Inpector General was created in 1927[4] and disestablished in 1952.[5] He ruled with martial law[5] and over all military, juridical and civilian matters.[4]

United Kingdom

Military

In the British tradition, an inspector general is usually a senior military officer responsible for the inspection of military units to ensure that they meet appropriate standards of training and efficiency. Unlike American inspectors general, they do not usually have an investigative or law enforcement function.

For many years the Royal Air Force maintained a post of inspector general.

Police

The commanding officers of the Royal Irish Constabulary (and later of the Royal Ulster Constabulary until replaced by chief constable) and many Commonwealth police forces also bore the title of inspector general of police and it is still used in India and some other former British territories.

The inspector general is also the name given to the chief executive officer of the Insolvency Service.

Inspector and variants of it are rank titles of officers in the police of Britain and most Commonwealth countries.

United States
Main article: Office of Inspector General (United States)
logo for the Council of the Inspectors General

In the United States, an inspector general leads an organization charged with examining the actions of a government agency, military organization, or military contractor as a general auditor of their operations to ensure they are operating in compliance with generally established policies of the government, to audit the effectiveness of security procedures, or to discover the possibility of misconduct, waste, fraud, theft, or certain types of criminal activity by individuals or groups related to the agency's operation, usually involving some misuse of the organization's funds or credit. In the United States, there are numerous offices of inspector general at the federal, state, and local levels;[6] the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Army is a military example. In this context the adjective "general" following the noun meaning widespread or overall, not military rank.

The framework of offices of inspector general within the United States government was established with the Inspector General Act of 1978.[7]

Vatican City

In the Vatican City State, the inspector general is the commanding officer of the state police force, the Corps of Gendarmerie of Vatican City. He is also the chief bodyguard for the pope, and accompanies the pontiff when he visits foreign countries.

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gollark: It's undocumented if you have to rely on a random third party source. Especially when half of them disagree with each other.
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See also

References
  1. "The Bumptious Functionary". The Economist. 14 December 2013.
  2. Shahidullah, Shahid M. Comparative Criminal Justice Systems. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2012. ISBN 9781449604257.
  3. Glossary of Endgame by Knut Braa, p.270 "FSK er direkte underlagt GIH - generalinspektøren for Hæren - og med det tillagt stor nærhet til strategisk nivå og stor operativ makt.",ISBN 978-82-8143-198-0
  4. Bayir, Derya (2016-04-22). Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law. Routledge. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-317-09579-8.
  5. Jongerden, Joost (2007-01-01). The Settlement Issue in Turkey and the Kurds: An Analysis of Spatical Policies, Modernity and War. BRILL. p. 53. ISBN 978-90-04-15557-2.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. Hilliard, Nadia (2017). The Accountability State: US Federal Inspectors General and the Pursuit of Democratic Integrity. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 9780700623983. Excerpt.
  7. Schudson, Michael (December 16, 2017). ""Book Review: The Accountability State: US Federal Inspectors General and the Pursuit of Democratic Integrity". The International Journal of Press/Politics. doi:10.1177/1940161217744468. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
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