DEPUTY CHIEF CONSTABLE INSIGNIA (SCOTLAND)
Following post-war police uniform reforms introduced across Scotland between 1949 and 1950, attention was also given to the insignia worn by senior officers.
In many smaller Scottish County and Burgh police forces, the position of Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) was often held by officers whose substantive rank could range from Sergeant to Superintendent. Existing rank insignia identified the officer’s rank but did not indicate their appointment as Deputy Chief Constable.
While larger city forces had generally adopted the crossed tipstaves and laurel wreath insignia associated with Assistant and Deputy Chief Constables, a distinctive identifier was sought for smaller forces. The Chief Constables (Scotland) Association commissioned a number of designs and, after consideration, selected a simple and practical solution.
The approved insignia consisted of the intertwined letters “DCC” in chromium-plated metal, worn beneath the officer’s existing rank badge. This enabled officers serving as Deputy Chief Constable to be readily identified regardless of their substantive rank.
This distinctive Scottish insignia was adopted by a number of County and Burgh police forces and remained in use in some areas until the reorganisation and regionalisation of Scottish policing in 1975.
This version is concise, display-friendly, and keeps the visitor’s attention on the significance and purpose of the DCC insignia itself, rather than the broader uniform changes that led to its introduction.
