Police station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the 1959 TV series, see Police Station.
A police station in Zhukovsky, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Red sign outside a Swedish police station

A police station (sometimes called a "station house" in the US) is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms. In many countries, the commander of a police station is called a commissary.


Large departments may have many stations to cover the area they serve. The names used for these facilities include:


A police station in India is typically under the command of an Inspector. In the case of a police station which is the headquarters of a Police Circle, the Inspector's office is clearly demarcated (and most likely in a separate building)

United Kingdom[edit]

The county Constabularies in Great Britain were previously organised on a village basis. Most villages of any size had a "police house". Police houses in small villages were often staffed by a single uniformed Constable, with larger stations being staffed by more. Local police stations were grouped together under the command of a uniformed Sergeant, whose station was known as a "sergeant's station". Larger towns in the county constabulary areas had police stations staffed by a number of officers, often under the command of an inspector or superintendent, usually also commanding a sub-division or division respectively, and therefore giving the names of "sub-divisional station" or "divisional station" to their stations.

In Scotland a Police Station may be referred to as a Police Office.


An English police station: Wood Street station in Wakefield 
Police Assistance Booth, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India 
Many British and Commonwealth police stations have a blue lamp outside. 
Cells used in Leith Police Station between 1833 and 2003 
J.C. "Buster" Court Public Safety complex in Stafford, Texas 
Police station in Patagonia (southern Chile). 
The NYPD's 1st precinct station on Varick Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. 

See also[edit]