How to become a police officer in Australia
Police Officers maintain public order, and enforce laws by investigating crimes, patrolling public areas and arresting suspected offenders.
Pay and growth are for the wider police group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the police group are projected to grow 11.1% between May 2025 and May 2035, slower than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Investigates and prosecutes offences.
- Secures and examines crime and accident scenes to obtain evidence.
- Protects witnesses and investigates corruption.
- Maintains public order and safety.
- Patrols assigned areas to prevent public disturbance and crime.
- Investigates accidents, crimes, minor offences and citizens' complaints, gathering evidence, and pursuing, arresting and interviewing suspected offenders.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A diploma or advanced diploma. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the police group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 30% a degree or higher, 43% a diploma, 8% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria1 match
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Criminology and Policing · Monash, Clayton75.30NSW and ACT3 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Policing · Western Sydney64.80 Bachelor of Policing and Public Safety · Charles Sturt64.20Showing 2 of 3 matches. Search every course.
Queensland0 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
No match in QTAC's list. Some courses, medicine especially, don't publish a cutoff or use their own admissions.
Western Australia0 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
No match in TISC's list. Some courses, medicine especially, don't publish a cutoff or use their own admissions.
Matched on course names, 4 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Realistic, Conventional, Enterprising.
From O*NET ratings for "Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.