page_title: Sergeant
section_title: Australia
hierarchical_section_title: Sergeant / Current adaptations / Australia
caption_attribution_description: English: rank epaulette of a sergeant of the Victorian police
context_page_description: Sergeant is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, serjeant, is used in The Rifles and other units that draw their heritage from the British Light Infantry. Its origin is the Latin serviens, 'one who serves', through the French term sergent.
  The term sergeant refers to a non-commissioned officer placed above the rank of a corporal and a police officer immediately below a lieutenant or, in the UK Police forces, below an inspector. In most armies the rank of sergeant corresponds to command of a squad. In Commonwealth armies, it is a more senior rank, corresponding roughly to a platoon second-in-command. In the United States Army, sergeant is a more junior rank corresponding to a four-soldier fireteam leader.
  More senior non-commissioned ranks are often variations on sergeant, for example staff sergeant, first sergeant, and sergeant major.
context_section_description: Sergeant (Sgt) is a rank in both the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force. The ranks are equivalent to each other and the Royal Australian Navy rank of petty officer.
  Although the rank insignia of the RAAF rank of flight sergeant (Flt Sgt) and the Australian Army rank of staff sergeant (SSgt) are identical, flight sergeant in fact outranks the rank of staff sergeant in the classification of rank equivalencies. The Australian Army rank of staff sergeant is now redundant and is no longer awarded, due to being outside the rank equivalencies and the next promotional rank is warrant officer class two. Chief petty officers and flight sergeants are not required to call a warrant officer class two "sir" in accordance with Australian Defence Force Regulations 1952 (Regulation 8).
  The rank of sergeant exists in all Australian police forces and is of higher ranking than a constable or senior constable, but lower than an inspector.
  The sergeant structure varies among state police forces, generally two sergeant ranks are commonly classed as non-commissioned officers:
  Sergeant (Sgt) (three chevrons); and
  Senior sergeant (Sen Sgt) (three chevrons, crown surmounted by a laurel leaf)
  South Australia Police has the additional rank of brevet sergeant (two chevrons below an inverted arrow head) which is an authorization for a temporarily higher rank. A brevet sergeant is less senior than a sergeant.
  New South Wales Police Force has the additional rank of incremental sergeant (three chevrons and a crown). This is an incremental progression, following appointment as a sergeant for seven years. An incremental sergeant rank is less senior than a senior sergeant but is more senior than a sergeant.
  Upon appointment as a sergeant or senior sergeant, the sergeant is given:
  A warrant of appointment under the commissioner's hand and seal.
  A navy blue backing (which replaces a light blue backing to the officer's police badge)
  A navy blue nameplate (which replaces a light blue nameplate)
  A silver chinstrap positioned above his peaked cap on his headdress, replacing a black chinstrap.
  Within the New South Wales Police Force, sergeant is a team leader or supervisory rank, whilst the rank of senior sergeant is a middle management rank with coordination responsibilities over human and physical resources.
  All three sergeant ranks are informally referred to as "sergeant", or "sarge". However at the New South Wales Police Academy, recruits must address all ranks of sergeants as "sergeant", and senior sergeant as "senior sergeant".
caption: The insignia of an Australian police sergeant
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