← Law and government

ANZSCO 4413Skill level 2Law and government

Police officer

Maintain public order, prevent and investigate crime and provide emergency response.

Registration: Entry through state police academies (NSWPF, Victoria Police, QPS, SA Police, WAPF, TASPOL, NTPOL, ACT Policing)

Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$1950Job Outlook (2025-06-01)
Graduate starting salary$75,000QILT (2025-03-01)

How far does this stretch in each city?

What a police officer actually does

General duties officers work rotating shifts on an 8-hour or 12-hour roster, including nights, weekends and public holidays. A shift starts with a briefing on overnight incidents, current jobs, and any outstanding warrants. Officers are then dispatched in pairs to incidents by the radio room: domestic violence, traffic crashes, mental health calls, retail theft, neighbour disputes. Between jobs they patrol an assigned area and stop drivers and pedestrians for licence and welfare checks. A heavy chunk of the day is spent writing: incident reports, arrest paperwork, statements, briefs of evidence for prosecution. Detectives and specialist officers run their own caseloads, attend scenes, interview suspects and witnesses, and prepare matters for court. Hours sit at 38-42 a week on average across the roster, with overtime during major operations. Most early-career officers work general duties at a local area command before specialising.

Typical tasks

  • Conduct general duties patrols.
  • Investigate offences and prepare briefs.
  • Provide evidence at court and tribunal.

Skills you'll use

  • Communicating calmly with people in crisis
  • De-escalating volatile situations on the street
  • Writing accurate notebook entries, statements and briefs of evidence
  • Using radio dispatch and police computer systems
  • Applying state criminal law, traffic law and police powers
  • Working as part of a two-officer team and a larger crew
  • Physical fitness for foot pursuits, restraint and shift work
  • Giving evidence in court under cross-examination

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 10 at minimum; Year 12 strengthens any application and is required by most jurisdictions for direct entry
  2. 2Pass the state physical fitness, swim and psychological tests required by your chosen police force
  3. 3Hold a current full driver's licence, pass a national criminal-history check and meet the medical standard
  4. 4Apply to a state or territory police force directly (NSW Police Force, Victoria Police, Queensland Police, WA Police, SA Police, Tasmania Police, NT Police, ACT Policing)
  5. 5Complete the paid recruit programme at the police academy (Goulburn for NSW, Glen Waverley for Victoria, similar for each state); duration is 8-18 months including on-the-job phases
  6. 6Be sworn in and complete a probationary period of around 12 months under supervised general duties before confirmation

Where you can work

  • State and territory police forces (general duties)
  • Detective squads and major crime commands
  • Highway patrol and traffic and highway commands
  • Specialist tactical and dog and air-wing units
  • The Australian Federal Police (Commonwealth offences and protective service)
  • Counter-terrorism, fraud and cybercrime commands
  • Rural and remote single-officer and two-officer stations

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Probationary constable
    0-1 year
    Typical roles: Probationary constable, Recruit at academy
    Salary band: $70,000 - $85,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Constable to senior constable
    2-7 years
    Typical roles: Constable, Senior constable, Detective trainee
    Salary band: $85,000 - $110,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Sergeant
    8-15 years
    Typical roles: Sergeant, Detective sergeant, Officer in charge of a small station
    Salary band: $115,000 - $145,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  4. Inspector and above
    15+ years
    Typical roles: Inspector, Superintendent, Assistant commissioner

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You can stay calm and decisive when people around you are not
  • You can talk to anyone, from a frightened victim to an aggressive offender
  • You handle shift work, night work and weekend work without burning out
  • You take detailed notes and care about being correct on the record
  • You can give evidence in court and stand by your decisions
  • You're physically fit and willing to keep training to stay that way

This might not suit you if

  • You want a 9 to 5 desk job with no weekend or night work
  • You're uncomfortable with the prospect of physical confrontation
  • You can't tolerate paperwork and detailed report writing
  • You want to choose your own postings or specialise immediately

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for police officer. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

No direct undergraduate pathway. Consider postgraduate study after a related bachelor degree.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Not an apprenticeship trade.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.