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 only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Police (4413) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time weekly earnings | $2422 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
| Graduate starting salary | $81,517 | QILT (2026-08-31) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Police Officer (441312), the closest official match for police officer, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 55,400
- Future demand
- Moderate
- Work full-time
- 92%
- Average full-time hours
- 43 a week
- Women
- 29%
- Median age
- 41
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 28.2% |
| VIC | 26% |
| QLD | 20.1% |
| WA | 11.1% |
| SA | 7.7% |
| TAS | 2.2% |
| ACT | 2.2% |
| NT | 2.4% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 6.5% |
| Bachelor degree | 23.9% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 42.6% |
| Certificate I-IV | 8.3% |
| Year 12 | 12.2% |
| Below Year 12 | 2.7% |
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
- 1Finish Year 10 at minimum; Year 12 strengthens any application and is required by most jurisdictions for direct entry
- 2Pass the state physical fitness, swim and psychological tests required by your chosen police force
- 3Hold a current full driver's licence, pass a national criminal-history check and meet the medical standard
- 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)
- 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
- 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 roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Probationary constable0-1 yearTypical roles: Probationary constable, Recruit at academy
- Constable to senior constable2-7 yearsTypical roles: Constable, Senior constable, Detective trainee
- Sergeant8-15 yearsTypical roles: Sergeant, Detective sergeant, Officer in charge of a small station
- Inspector and above15+ yearsTypical 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
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for police officer. 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.
Sources
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.