Australian Federal Police
Commissioned Police Officer
Criminal Intelligence Analyst
Detective
Mounted
Police
Police Diver
State Police Officer
Related Jobs or Working
with these Jobs
Police officers protect the community from crime and disorder by providing
services to uphold the law, protect life and property, preserve the peace,
prevent crime, detect and apprehend offenders, and help
those in need of
assistance.
A police officer maintains public order, and enforces
laws by investigating crimes, patrolling public areas, and arresting
suspected offenders.
They assist people in emergency situations and coordinate emergency
management procedures. Police officers also play an important role educating
the community about crime prevention and creating safer communities. Police
officers must also write reports and maintain information databases on a
daily basis.
ANZSCO ID & Description:
441312: Maintains public order, and enforces
laws by investigating crimes, patrolling public areas and arresting
suspected offenders.
Alternative names: Australian Federal Police Officer,
Detective, Police Officer - State
Specialisations: Bomb Squad Officer,
Dog Handler,
Intelligence Officer, Mounted Police Officer, Patrol Inquiry Officer, Search
and Rescue Officer, Tactical Response Group Officer, Water Police Officer
All newly appointed police officers are initially required to perform
station and patrol duties.
After gaining experience, police officers may seek entry to specialist areas
such as criminal investigation (detective work), radio communications,
prosecutions, juvenile aid, accident investigation, water police, dog
handling, traffic control, the mounted unit, education and training, and
human resource management.
Knowledge, skills and attributes
A police officer needs:
-
physically fit and able to
satisfy medical requirements
-
the ability to listen to people from all walks of
life and be tolerant of people from all backgrounds
and cultures
-
good team working and communication skills
-
to be honest, reliable and responsible
-
socially mature with a degree of mental toughness
-
to enjoy helping people and be sensitive to
situations where understanding of trauma and loss has occurred, and
recognising where assertiveness and confidence are required in times of
conflict
-
able to analyse and solve problems
-
have an acceptable traffic/criminal record
-
the ability to stay calm in difficult situations
-
Australian
or New Zealand citizenship or
permanent residency
Duties and Tasks
Police officers may perform the following tasks:
-
promote crime prevention and undertake community
policing activities to improve the quality of community life
-
patrol assigned areas on foot or in vehicles to check
security of property and watch for unusual activity
-
apprehend law breakers
-
investigate criminal offences and question suspicious
people about their activities
-
gather information about crimes and accidents by
talking to victims and witnesses and taking notes and statements in
writing
-
direct and re-route traffic at congested areas
-
respond to citizens' complaints and attend scenes of
disturbances and reported illegal activities
-
guard prisoners
-
detain and search suspects for weapons, stolen goods
or drugs
-
work with ambulance, firefighting and defence force
personnel to control emergency situations such as floods, bomb threats
and chemical spills
-
assist injured and distressed people and search for
missing or lost people
-
carry out routine clerical work
-
issue infringement notices for traffic offences
-
attend special events such as football matches and
control crowds where necessary
-
give evidence in court from previously prepared briefs
and notes
-
perform random breath tests of drivers to detect those
driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
-
secure crime and accident scenes, and locate or obtain
evidence for analysis
-
give sympathetic, constructive and reassuring
assistance and feedback to victims of crime.
Did You Know?
In 1915, the NSW Police Department advertised two positions
for female police. Nearly 500 women applied for the positions. They
had to be unmarried, wear civilian clothes and not issued a uniform
or allowed to have firearms.
One of these first female detectives was
Lillian Armfield.
She is
Australia's first female detective and was only armed with her
handbag!
She served until December 1949 but was given no
superannuation!
Lillian Armfield
(Source:
SMH)
Read more about Lillian
here.
In 1973, Doreen Peters joins as the first Aboriginal female employed
by the NSWPF and the first Aboriginal Public Servant.
Doreen retired
on 16 June 2011 after serving 38 years with the Police.
In 1974, women detectives issued with firearms and became eligible
by statute to sit for promotional examinations!
(Sources:
Australian Dictionary of Biography;
NSW Police History) |
Working conditions
Most police officers begin their careers in Frontline or Operational
Policing. An operational police officer is often the first on the scene in
response to calls for help or public disorder incidents. Operational police
officers are seen as the 'human face' of the Police Service and their work
involves constant liaison with the community. Police officers must also
write reports and maintain information databases on a daily basis.
There is also an expectation that police officers be prepared to work
anywhere in the State where they are employed, and
they can be expected to work shifts of up to 12 hours at a time. Police
officers in country towns are expected to handle almost all aspects of
policing and can gain a great deal of experience in a variety of roles.
Police officers are required to work shifts including weekends and public
holidays and serve in any part of the relevant state or territory.
Tools
and technologies
Police officers, particularly those working as frontline police officers,
need to have good driving skills, to pursue another vehicle or to get to the
scene of an incident quickly and safely. Police officers can choose to carry
and use a firearm, a taser, oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray (pepper spray), an
expandable baton, and handcuffs, and they must know how to use a hand held
radio.
Police officers also need basic computing and typing skills.
Education and training/entrance requirements
Applicants must be Australian or New Zealand citizens or a Permanent
Resident and are required to pass a Traffic and Criminal Check. They also
need to hold a current Provide First Aid Certificate and a ‘C’ Class
driver’s licence, with no more than eight demerit points.
Applicants who meet these pre-requirements will be invited to commence the
selection process, involving a series of written, physical, psychological
and medical checks.
Successful applicants are required to attend a 28 week training course at
the State Police Academy.
This is followed by an 18 month probationary period.
If you are between the ages of 16 and 18 years you can apply for a cadet
traineeship through the State Police Department.
You will need to have Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent
residency in Australia.
You can also complete the two year Associate Degree in Criminology and
Justice at University. However, if you wish to apply for a position as a
police officer, you will need to apply at the start of your third semester
of university study.
Police officers working for the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are
responsible for policing federal law in all states
and territories, and for
community policing in the ACT and Australia's external
territories.
The AFP, with its headquarters located in Canberra, is Australia's
international law enforcement and policing agency. It is the chief source of
advice to the Australian Government on policing issues, enforces
Commonwealth criminal law and protects Commonwealth and national interests.
ANZSCO ID: 4413
Alternative names:
Also known as ACT Police Officer and Federal Agent.
Knowledge, skills and
attributes
Duties and Tasks
Australian Federal Police officers may perform the following tasks:
-
investigate and prosecute offences committed against
the Commonwealth in areas such as organised, corporate and computer
crime; environmental offences; drug trafficking; fraud; counterfeiting
and terrorism
-
confiscate proceeds of crime when an offender is
convicted
-
carry out VIP and diplomatic protection duties as
directed
-
protect police witnesses and investigate the unlawful
disclosure of government information and/or official corruption
-
work in joint operations with state and territory
police
-
liaise with other police forces and crime prevention
institutions to combat international crime
-
contribute to United Nations activities such as
peacekeeping and international aid programs
-
undertake clerical and administrative duties.
Working conditions
Australian Federal Police officers do shiftwork and their duties vary from
team to team. They are required to serve anywhere in Australia, or in the
Australian territories of Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, the Cocos
(Keeling) Islands and Jervis Bay, and be willing to move with the job
depending on operational requirements.
Education and training/entrance requirements
To become a police officer (AFP)
you usually have to gain your HSC/ACT Year 12, or complete Year 10 plus a
trade certificate. Tertiary qualifications may add to your competitiveness
and, wherever possible, the AFP seeks to recruit graduates from a wide range
of disciplines, not limited to law, justice or criminology studies.
To get into degree courses you usually need to gain your HSC/ACT Year 12.
Institutions have different prerequisites and some have flexible entry
requirements or offer external study.
Successful applicants complete 24 weeks of training at the AFP College in
Barton, ACT. Recruits complete a further 12 months of on- the-job training.
To join the AFP, applicants must pass aptitude, medical and psychometric
tests, as well as security checks, a fitness test and a selection
assessment. Applicants must hold a Provide First Aid Certificate and be able
to swim 100 meters unaided.
Employment opportunities
Appointment to the AFP is based on merit, and recruits have the opportunity
to seek employment in all states and territories of Australia. Overseas
postings are also available.
Recruits may be employed for duties as plain-clothed Federal Agents, or as
uniformed officers in community policing in the ACT.
In addition to performing a variety of duties, recruits have the opportunity
to gain experience in specialised policing roles (both uniformed and
plain-clothed), as well as the chance to collaborate with national and
international law enforcement agencies.
Entry is highly competitive. Job opportunities depend on the level of
government funding and technological change in areas such as communication,
computer technology, surveillance equipment, data collection and forensic
services.
The AFP is an equal opportunity employer and has an Indigenous recruitment
and career development strategy.
Responsibilities and Challenges
Police divers are usually police officers first and then divers
later. As such they have all the responsibilities that are bestowed
upon a police officer as well as those added by the specific nature
of their work. In some forces divers will hold multiple roles and
diving will only make up part of their day-to-day work.
The responsibilities of the police dive
squads have been
extended to include anti-smuggling, counter terrorism and critical
infrastructure security roles. Many of the squads have appointed
additional staff and are acquiring new and sophisticated high-tech
equipment to make the counter-terrorism and critical port
infrastructure protection capabilities of the police diver more
effective in this new threat environment.
Police divers sometimes have the very difficult task of dealing with
the relatives of drowning victims and those affected by crime. They
are asked to cope with scenes and situations that many will find to
be traumatic or even gruesome. As a minimum this occupation will
require commitment to a high degree of professionalism at all times.
Appointment to the police dive squads is highly sought after and
entry to the squads has historically been very competitive, and
selection procedures both physically and mental demanding with only
the most highly skilled and determined applicants being accepted.
What Being a Police Diver Can Offer
This is one of the few types of commercial diving that offers divers
the opportunity to save life – whilst not a common occurrence,
certainly a highlight.
Other highlights include the opportunity to contribute specialist
skills to major police investigations and be responsible for the
location of critical evidence required to prosecute offenders or
prevent catastrophe.
How to Become a Police Diver
Although there is some variation between the various squads, members
are generally trained and certified as ADAS Part 1:Occupational
SCUBA Diver to 30m and ADAS Part 2R:Restricted SSBA Diver to 30m or
Part 3R: Restricted SSBA Diver to 50m divers using surface supplied
equipment on air to 30 or 50 metres respectively.
The process may vary in detail from squad to squad, but will
certainly include physical fitness testing, a task-suitability
assessment and then a rigorously assessed training program.
|
|