OSCA 451331

General Duties Police Officer

Overview

  • Employed persons

    47,700

  • Employment status

    92.2% Full time

    7.8% Part time

  • Median age

    40 years

  • Employment by sex

    28.6% Female

    71.4% Male

    Moderately male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    2.9%

  • Main employing industry

    Public Administration and Safety

Indicator General Duties Police Officer Total employment
Employed persons 47,700 12,049,400
Median age 40 years 40 years
Full-time share 92.2% 64.2%
Part-time share 7.8% 35.8%
Female employment share 28.6% 48.5%
Male employment share 71.4% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 2.9% 2.2%
Main employing industry Public Administration and Safety Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

General Duties Police Officers maintain public order, protect life and property, prevent anti-social behaviour, and enforce laws by patrolling public areas, responding to reports of offences, and arresting suspected offenders.

What the occupation involves

  • Patrols public areas to engage with the community and gather information to prevent crime and improve public safety in accordance with legislation
  • Attends emergency calls, accidents and incidents, and manages the scene to preserve evidence
  • Identifies unsafe driver behaviour, records vehicle speeds, conducts vehicle stops and pullovers, and tests drivers suspected of drug and alcohol use
  • Assesses situations to determine if an offence has been committed and arrests suspected offenders
  • Conducts initial investigations, including gathering evidence, conducting interviews and undertaking searches
  • Manages people in police care or custody
  • Engages with individuals and the community to identify police services options to support their needs

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

No specialisations are listed for this occupation.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 2
equivalent to a Diploma or Advanced Diploma level qualification.

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

Licensing or registration requirements

No licensing or registration requirements are listed for this occupation.

OSCA structure

Community and Personal Service Workers (4)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    General Duties Police Officer Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Public Administration and Safety 98.8% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Education and Training 0.4% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Administrative and Support Services <0.1% Construction 8.9%
    Arts and Recreation Services <0.1% Education and Training 8.8%
    Financial and Insurance Services <0.1% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Health Care and Social Assistance <0.1% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Information Media and Telecommunications <0.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Other Services <0.1% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services <0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing <0.1% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      28.5%

    • Victoria

      25.6%

    • Queensland

      20.1%

    • South Australia

      7.8%

    • Tasmania

      2.3%

    • Northern Territory

      2.5%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      2.0%

    General Duties Police Officer Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 13,600 28.5% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 12,200 25.6% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 9,600 20.1% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 3,700 7.8% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 5,300 11.1% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 1,100 2.3% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 1,200 2.5% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 950 2.0% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    General Duties Police Officer

    Total employment

    Age group General Duties Police Officer Total employment
    15–24 years 5.8% 14.3%
    25–34 years 29.1% 22.7%
    35–44 years 28.0% 22.3%
    45–54 years 27.4% 20.4%
    55–64 years 9.3% 15.3%
    65–74 years 0.4% 4.3%
    75 years and over <0.1% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex General Duties Police Officer Total employment
    Female 28.6% 48.5%
    Male 71.4% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    On this page

      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

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      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

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