Workforce Overview
Across Australia, policing services are delivered by 8 jurisdictions.
Policing of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is conducted under an agreement with the Australian Federal Police (AFP), which directs ACT Policing under its portfolio.
The Police workforce is comprised of State/Territory Police organisations, as well as the Australian Federal Police. The industry sector employs fulltime equivalent (FTE) of sworn Police Officers of approximately 59,359 across Federal, State and Territories.
Police organisations and unions highlighted that they are experiencing shortages of Police Officers across all States/Territories. Additionally, stakeholders observed that national labour market datasets fail to capture the complexities of Police occupational shortages, overlooking factors such as government commitments, retention challenges, the impact of career progression, and the evolving demands of policing.
These shortages can be caused by regionality, competition for labour and recruitment and retention efforts, all of which are discussed in the Workforce Insights Report.
Workforce Megatrends
In 2024, Public Skills Australia identified nine megatrends impacting across the Public Safety and Government industries. A brief overview of the key findings from 2024 are detailed below
Identified Challenges
Occupational shortages and operational capacity
Several drivers that may impact on Police occupational shortages and operational capacity that may not be fully understood due to analysis gaps.
Professional development and upskilling
The absence of comprehensive skills mapping impacts on the ability of public safety organisations to identify and address workforce skills gaps and occupational needs.
Strategy
Report Into the Drivers of Occupational Shortages and Impacts on Operational Capacity
Public Skills Australia proposes to develop a comprehensive analysis of the inputs and drivers of Police workforce shortages and operational capacity to inform the national evidence base. This will provide greater understanding of the factors influencing diminished operational capacity in the metropolitan and remote/regional/rural policing.
(Proposed) Case Study Analysis of Skilling and Professional Development Profile Mapping
Public Skills Australia proposes to deliver a case study analysis where a skilling and professional development profile has been overlaid with work force demographics to understand and identify Police skills gaps at a jurisdictional level. This work would seek to identify benefits and opportunities in adopting this approach to address gaps in skilling and professional development programs.
Policing Training Package
Policing is covered by the POL Police Training Package. Public Skills Australia collaborates closely with the Australian New Zealand Police Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) to review and keep this training package up to date.
All police staff members and personnel Australia receive general training through an Academy or College. They can then undertake additional training for specialist roles as they progress their career in policing.
Click here to learn more about the POL Police Training Package.
Members of Public Skills Australia from this Industry-Sector
Existing Industry Strategies
Government Initiatives
References
Existing workforce strategies
ACT Policing, Annual Report 2022-23, ACT Policing, 2023, accessed 15 January 2024.
Australia Federal Police, Annual Report 2022-23 AFP, 2023, accessed 15 January 2024.
Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), Future Workforce, Police Workforce Compendium, ANZPAA, 2019, accessed 22 September 2023.
New South Wales Police Force, Annual Report 2022-2023, New South Wales Police Force, 2023, accessed 15 January 2024.
Northern Territory Police, Fire & Emergency Services, 2022-23 Annual Report, Northern Territory Police, Fire & Emergency Services, 2023, accessed 15 January 2024.
Queensland Police Service, 2022-23 Annual Report, Queensland Police Service, 2023, accessed 15 January 2024.
South Australia Police, 2022-23 Annual Report, South Australia Police, 2023, accessed 14 December 2023.
Tasmanian Government, Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management Annual Report 2022-23, Tasmania Government, 2023, accessed 14 December 2023.
Victoria Police, Annual Report 2022-2023, Victoria Police, 2023, accessed 15 January 2024.
Western Australia Police Force, Annual Report 2023, Western Australia Police Force, 2023, accessed 15 January 2024.
Disclaimer
This data have been collected through consultation with industry-sector representatives as part of the Workforce Plan 2025: Public Safety. These figures represent a snapshot in time and are subject to change. Public Skills Australia Limited has made every effort to ensure that the information and data contained in this report are accurate, up to date and have been sourced appropriately. Our organisation will update these figures annually as part of its Workforce Planning function.
Images: © State of Queensland (Queensland Police Service) 2022 is licenced under CC BY 4.0.