If an inspector is higher than a constable why is a chief inspector not higher than a chief constable.?

The same in nursing, a sister is higher than a nurse but a senior sister is lower than a senior nurse.
If a police inspector has 2 pips and a chief inspector has 3 pips,which rank has 1 pip ( like a 2nd lieutenant in the army)?

matt 353...an inspector has 2 pips,a chief inspector 3 pips, superintendent 1 crown,
chief supt..1 crown+1 pip.So ur wrong.
babysham...read the question again I never said a senior sister was higher than a senior nurse...that's exactly my point

Basically, all police officers, whatever rank, hold the office of constable. So the Chief Constable is the head honcho - but I agree, it is a bit strange! (I'm a Chief Inspector, but you can bet I call him 'sir'!). We all have the same powers of arrest etc., although some actions do require the authority of an officer of a certain rank e.g. PACE Road checks need a Superintendent's authority, although an Inspector can authorise one in an emergency.
The ranks have varied a bit over the years since the first police in 1829, but have now settled down and are standardised in the County Forces as:
Chief Constable
Deputy CC
Assistant CC
Chief Superintendent
Superintendent
Chief Inspector
Inspector
Sergeant and
Constable.

The Met in London have a different structure above Chief Superintendent, partly because they are so large. From the top they go:

Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner
Assistant Commissioner
Deputy Assistant Commissioner
Commander then
C/Super etc.

The City of London also have a Commissioner - it's just an old historical throwback.

Now when you come to pips and the like, no, no-one has one pip. Although the ranks were originally based on the army, it would appear that no-one thought that you needed someone between a sergeant and an inspector. And they were right. But to keep the ranks 'equivalent' and to reflect the responsinility level of an inspector, they got two pips.

an inspector has one pip

a snior nurse is not lower than a senior sister

No rank in the police has 1 pip.
Chief Constable is the boss man when it comes to Policing
and that's the way it is.
After Chief Inspector you have Superintendant, Chief Superintendant, Assistant Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable and then the boss.
The Met have a slightly different structure in that they have Commissioners and assistant Commissioners etc etc.

When the police force was first created, it was done so on the understanding that it wasn't a paramilitary force like similar ones in Europe. ie it policed by the consent of the people.
The ranks were deliberately designed to be non-military with the exception of Sergeant.
As for why C/inspector is below C/constable, no idea.