Police Inspector Salary
The short answer
A police inspector outside London takes home £43,381 to £46,065 a year — £3,615.09 to £3,838.72 a month — after income tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.
Inspector Pay Progression (separate London pay scale + £6,819 LA)
| Pay Point | Outside London | Met / City (London scale + LA) |
|---|---|---|
| Pay Point 0 (on appointment) | £66,000 | £75,607 |
| Pay Point 1 | £67,798 | £77,408 |
| Pay Point 2 | £69,589 | £79,221 |
| Pay Point 3 (top) | £71,396 | £81,025 |
Take-Home Pay After Tax, NI and Pension
| Pay Point | Gross | Pension | Tax | NI | Net | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay Point 0 (on appointment) | £66,000 | £9,095 | £10,194 | £3,330 | £43,381 | £3,615.09 |
| Pay Point 1 | £67,798 | £9,343 | £10,814 | £3,366 | £44,275 | £3,689.61 |
| Pay Point 2 | £69,589 | £9,589 | £11,432 | £3,402 | £45,166 | £3,763.84 |
| Pay Point 3 (top) | £71,396 | £9,838 | £12,055 | £3,438 | £46,065 | £3,838.72 |
Inspectors are on “officer hours” and are not normally eligible for overtime, so unlike constable and sergeant pay these figures are close to the whole picture. Standard tax code, England rates, no student loan.
Check your own figure
The Inspector is the senior federated rank — typically a shift commander or department lead. Inspectors run operational shifts, take command of incidents up to and including critical incidents, and act as the link between front-line federated officers and the superintending ranks.
Promotion requires OSPRE Part II plus NPPF work-based competency, after a minimum two years as a Sergeant. Inspector has 4 service-based pay points, progressing one per year.
Unlike Constables and Sergeants (who get the flat £3,260 LW), Inspectors have a separate London pay scale — different basic figures for officers in the Met / City of London versus outside. On top of that, Met / City Inspectors also receive the £6,819 London Allowance (effective April 2025). The calculator handles both automatically when you select "London" as Force Location.
Inspectors are typically the highest federated rank still eligible for overtime — though specific entitlements vary by force. Most accrue pension under PPS 2015 CARE, contributing 13.44% (£27k–£60k) or 13.78% (£60k+) depending on pay tier.
Inspector is the rank at which the pay conversation changes. Below it, overtime and unsocial-hours payments can add a substantial and variable amount to basic pay; at inspector and above, the published scale is close to the whole story. That makes the take-home figures on this page more directly comparable with salaried roles outside policing than the constable and sergeant equivalents.