Do you already have what it takes? See yourself in the uniform and Decisive Caring Confident Resilient Adaptable
Give your career variety and excitement. Strengthen your professional skills and personal character. Enjoy the camaraderie of a dedicated team.
take responsibility for your actions - and be rewarded. 40+ specialist career paths to choose from. Achieve More as a South Australian Police Officer You may be surprised by what you re capable of and the difference you can make to your community and career. At South Australia Police (SAPOL), we value the qualities and strengths you bring to the service. That s why we give you every opportunity through over 40 specialist areas and further training to discover and enhance them to the best of your abilities. Motivate yourself and those around you. Be innovative, creative and fair. By getting the training you need, the career diversity you demand and the variety of experiences that enrich every day, a career as a Police Officer enables you to Achieve More. Do you already have what it takes? Some personal qualities are absolutely essential for becoming a Police Officer. If you can act decisively, communicate clearly, problem solve, are socially aware and can demonstrate initiative, sound judgement, assertiveness, empathy and strength of character then you have exactly what we re looking for. When you re on patrol, you may find yourself dealing with a broad variety of situations assaults, noise complaints, fires, break-ins, murders, demonstrations, domestic violence, missing persons and more. And we ll equip you to deal with every one of these scenarios. Getting started At the Police Academy, you will gain all the knowledge you need to become an effective Police Officer. After successfully completing pre-entry requirements, all applicants undertake a full time cadet training course as part of the Constable Development Program. The course combines academic studies in law, policy and procedures with practical exercises, physical conditioning and operational safety and communications. When you graduate you ll be posted as a Probationary Constable to one of the six metropolitan Local Service Areas or to one of a number of locations across the state. After building your skills and experience on patrol as a Probationary Constable, you will be considered for the rank of Constable. All officers must be prepared to work shifts and serve in any location throughout the state. As a Policer Officer, your professional options are expansive. Here are just a few. Criminal investigation Traffic patrols Human resources Intelligence Special tasks and rescue Photographic services Crime prevention Dog patrols Coronial investigation Sexual assault investigation Fingerprint examination Crime scene examination Organised crime investigation Major crash investigation Traffic safety Youth programs Metropolitan and country patrols Transit patrols Prosecution services Water response Communications DNA management Multicultural services Mounted patrols Drug investigation Fraud investigation Major crime investigation Family violence investigation Highway patrol
Gain more confidence through job and financial security. Police Career Benefits Salary You will be paid to complete the full time training course. Upon graduation you will receive a competitive salary that increases as you gain experience and rank. In addition, penalty rates are paid for shift work and public holidays. Hours The average work week is 38 hours. Most members are rostered in shifts according to staffing requirements. Lifelong Learning Upon permanent appointment members can work towards progression in their career. SAPOL offers a supportive and structured framework to assist members to qualify to the ranks of Senior Constable through to Superintendent. Annual salary is based upon length of service, qualifications and rank achieved. The Centre for Leader Development located at the Police Academy provides an integrated training program for leadership, supervision and management through the Promotional Qualification Framework and fosters continuous learning throughout SAPOL. Uniforms Complete uniforms are supplied at no cost. Leave All members receive six weeks of annual leave and can take up to 12 days of sick leave per year at full pay. Long Service Leave All members receive 90 days leave at full pay after 10 years of service. An additional nine days leave is given for every service year thereafter. Leave Bank Fund A voluntary fund is available that provides financial assistance to contributors who require additional leave after they have exhausted their normal sick leave entitlements. Superannuation Superannuation benefits for Police Officers and Cadets are provided through the Southern State Superannuation Scheme (Triple S). Police Health Fund Provides hospital and extras cover. Membership is optional. Police Dependants Fund Provides immediate cash gratuity to dependants in the event of a member s death. Small contributions are compulsory. The Police Association of South Australia Represents members who are Police Officers in SAPOL. Assists serving Police Officers in negotiating improved working conditions; offers legal assistance and advice in administrative issues and negotiations with SAPOL. Career Progression Rank Increment range Fortnightly pay Annual salary Cadet $ 1,895 $ 49,440 Probationary Constable $ 2,211 $ 57,680 Constable 1 to 8 $ 2,270 to 2,626 $ 59,225 to 68,495 Senior Constable 1 to 6 $ 2,744 to 3,159 $ 71,585 to 82,400 Senior Constable 1st Class 1 to 6 $ 2,823 to 3,257 $ 73,645 to 84,975 Brevet Sergeant 1 to 6 $ 2,871 to 3,305 $ 74,885 to 86,215 Sergeant 1 to 5 $ 3,336 to 3,692 $ 87,035 to 96,305 Senior Sergeant 1 to 5 $ 3,751 to 3,968 $ 97,850 to 103,515 Senior Sergeant 1st Class 1 to 5 $ 3,966 to 4,183 $ 103,450 to 109,115 Inspector 1 to 3 $ 4,679 to 4,995 $ 122,055 to 130,295 Chief Inspector $ 5,153 $ 134,415 Superintendent 1 to 3 $ 5,311 to 5,627 $ 138,535 to 146,775 Chief Superintendent $ 5,844 $ 152,440 Commander $ 6,041 $ 157,590 The above rates are valid from 13 July 2013. For the latest information, please visit or contact Police Recruiting Section on (08) 7322 3353.
Build on the skills you already have and do an extraordinary job. Pre-entry Requirements Personal Qualities To be a Police Officer requires strength of character. Our ideal candidate will be honest, dependable, confident, tolerant, motivated, culturally sensitive and committed to community safety and service. If you have concerns about previous criminal or serious traffic offences, you should discuss them with Recruiting Section staff prior to applying. You may also be required to undergo a polygraph test as part of the recruitment process. Communication Being able to engage and communicate with people of different backgrounds is desirable. The ability to communicate clearly, provide solutions as well as understand and relay information accurately and in a timely manner is essential to good police work. Age You must be 18 years or over before you can submit an application. If you are a school leaver, we look for evidence of life experience such as part-time work, volunteering or participation in a range of other community activities. If you have been in the workforce for a while and you are looking for a career change or a new challenge, then we encourage you to apply. Driver s Licence You ll need a current car driver s licence. Experience with both manual and automatic vehicles is essential. Citizenship You must be an Australian Citizen, hold permanent Australian residency status or hold New Zealand Citizenship. Computer Skills Familiarity with basic computer software is required, as is a typing speed of 26 wpm at 96% accuracy. You will be required to demonstrate your typing ability as part of the computer competency assessment. Health You ll need to be medically and physically fit and you ll be required to undertake a fitness examination to determine your suitability. If you re 35 years or over, you will be required to undertake an exercise ECG at your own expense that is cleared by the Police Medical Section before you can participate in the physical and agility testing. Education Completion of Year 12 is highly desirable but equivalent evidence of an ability to cope with the academic aspects of recruit training and the demands of police duties will also be considered. First Aid A nationally recognised current Basic First Aid Certificate is required before Recruits undertake the first out phase of the Constable Development Program. This can be obtained by completing a one-day course, which you may arrange with one of the following organisations: St John Ambulance Australia - (08) 8306 6900 (known as Emergency First Aid Course) Australian Red Cross - 1300 367 428 Royal Life Saving Society - (08) 8234 9244 It s important that the course you sign up for covers bleeding control and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Successful applicants who have not provided a Basic First Aid Certificate before entering the Academy are required to undertake a course in their own time, at their own expense, before the first out phase of the Constable Development Program. Physical Test Throughout your police career, you will be required to reach and maintain established fitness standards. Details of the test are included in this booklet. Recruiting Process Overview Application Form If you meet the pre-entry requirements, we encourage you to complete an Application Form. Entrance Examination Once your application is accepted, you may be invited to sit the Entrance Examination. Panel Interview Once you have passed the Entrance Examination, you will be invited to attend a Panel Interview. This interview will provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate the qualities and qualifications that will enable you, with SAPOL training, to build a career as a Police Officer. Areas such as leadership, decisiveness, problem solving, stress management and integrity will be covered. Medical Examination The examination is conducted by the Police Medical Section and will include a skin fold test. Male: Less than 20% body fat. Female: Less than 30% body fat. Computer Testing Computer testing is conducted by SAPOL s Information Systems and Technology Training Section at the Police Academy. Physical and Agility Testing Physical and agility testing is conducted at the Police Academy. DNA Testing and Fingerprints A DNA sample and fingerprints will be obtained to assist with background checks. Selection Once you have completed the recruiting process, your file will be reviewed by a Selection Board that considers all results, including psychological evaluation and background checks. Successful completion of all tests and assessments does not guarantee selection. The recruiting process may take some time to complete. This may take several months depending on your preparation and frequency of courses. The steps in the process may vary according to individual circumstances. The information gained through checking background information such as your driving record or any contact you have had with the police, assessments and testing is critical in ensuring that SAPOL recruits applicants of the highest standard. We ask you to be patient throughout the process.
become involved in your community and achieve more. Managing Stress Problem Solving Recruit Entrance Examination Panel Interview If you are successful at the Entrance Examination, you will be asked to attend an interview with serving members of SAPOL. Here you will be given the opportunity to communicate on a more personal level about information contained in your application and present your personal skills and attributes. The interview lasts about one and a half hours. To assist in identifying your qualities, we use the behavioural interviewing method, which considers that past behaviour may reasonably indicate someone s future performance. The ability to maintain a positive attitude and objectively problem solve while managing aggression, rudeness, dangerous situations or urgent time demands. Decisiveness The ability to make speedy decisions based on available data, rapidly put a plan in place and take a firm stand. Compliance The ability to follow standard procedures and routines in an environment governed by regulation, policies and procedures; complete essential paperwork and document events. The ability to use job skills, training and judgement to objectively gather facts, determine options and draw logical conclusions before implementing action, and to avoid personal emotion and anxiety of others when making decisions. Other questions during the interview may cover interpersonal flexibility, assertiveness, task orientation, people awareness, teamwork, verbal communication, managing uncertainty, personal planning and organisational awareness. Before you reach the interview stage, we recommend you consider examples of your life experience that match the skills, behaviours and attitudes listed. The Entrance Examination is designed to assess your overall suitability for operational duties. The tests evaluate a range of factors directly related to operational policing. These include stress tolerance, your style in working with others, ability to learn new information, teamwork and other factors that are directly related to this job such as resilience and coping strategies. You will be contacted by the Recruiting Section to book in your examination time. Exams are usually scheduled between 8:30 am and 2:30 pm at Police Headquarters, 100 Angas Street, Adelaide. Since these tests are evaluating your personality style, rather than a specific skill, it is not possible to study for them in advance. You may want to look at our website where you will find samples of the type of questions you ll be asked to complete. Being familiar with them often helps you to feel more comfortable in approaching this task. Obtaining a satisfactory standard in the Entrance Examination does not guarantee acceptance into South Australia Police. Consequently, this method addresses things that you have done in the past by drawing on examples from your education, workplaces, social interactions, community interests and general life experiences. The interview will also include a discussion on the extent to which your professional interests and aspirations align with policing. SAPOL is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity. Key behaviours assessed during the interview are selected from: Integrity The ability to be consistently honest with yourself and others; to provide a positive example in upholding SAPOL values and to set aside self-interest when necessary to better serve SAPOL and the community. Leadership The ability to lead, guide or influence others by setting a good example using facts, logic, personal qualities or authority; delegate activities to others; foster teamwork and cooperation; accept accountability; initiate change; be responsive to needs and promote a customer-focused approach.
motivate yourself and the people around you. Computer Competencies Before entering the Police Academy you should have basic computer skills that enable you to effectively produce computer-based documents as part of your course work. You will also be required to learn police-oriented computer applications that demand competency with computers. Windows Requirements SAPOL currently uses Windows 7. You should have a good working knowledge of the basic functions of the Windows operating system, including the ability to: identify standard Windows components > control menu box, title bar, menu bar, toolbars, maximise, minimise and restore buttons maximise, minimise and restore a window resize and move a window open and close an application launch multiple applications and switch between them create data in one application and move it to another launch file manager > describe the DOS naming convention for files > specify file extensions used by Word, Excel and Powerpoint create a directory rename a directory view two drive windows simultaneously copy a file and directory from one drive to another move a file and directory from one drive to another delete a file and a directory use search to locate a specified document close windows correctly. Word Requirements SAPOL uses Microsoft Word 2010 as its word processor. You should have a good working knowledge of its basic functions and be able to perform the following using Word: open an existing document format fonts > change font, size and style to bold and italic format paragraphs > align left, centre and right, and justify > double, one and a half, and single line spacing > hanging indent copy and cut text from one area and paste it into another highlight a word, line, paragraph and entire document using the mouse change the view of the document from normal to page layout show non-printing characters on screen view the document at 100% on screen use the spell checker modify the page margin and paper size to A4 do a print preview save a document in a specified directory print a document. You will also be required to undertake a typing speed assessment and must demonstrate an ability to type at 26 wpm with 96% accuracy. Physical and Agility Tests Preparation These tests are physically demanding. However, adequate preparation will help to ensure your success. To achieve a pass standard, we advise you to follow a gradual regime of cardiovascular training. We also recommend that you consult your doctor before starting an exercise program. Clothing Wear light clothing such as shorts, t-shirt or tracksuit and running shoes for tests 1 and 2. Venue All tests will be held at the Police Academy on Strathfield Tce, Taperoo. Change rooms and showers are available. Identification Please bring your driver s licence or another form of ID to the tests. The following agility test has been designed to determine the minimum level of fitness required to be a Police Officer. All applicants are required to take this test. TEST 1: Multiple Stage Fitness Test A progressive 20-metre shuttle test for the predication of maximum oxygen intake. You must reach the standard as follows: AEROBIC CAPACITY PASS 18-29 yrs 30-39 yrs 40-49 yrs 50-59 yrs MALE 9.04 8.02 7.02 6.02 FEMALE 6.10 5.06 4.09 4.01 TEST 2: Agility Test 1 Start from inside police vehicle. 2 Drag a 25 kg simulated body 20 metres. 3 Climb over 1 metre mesh fence. 4 Climb over 1.5 metre colour-bond fence. 5 Climb over 3 metre cyclone fence. 6 Climb over 1 metre wire fence. 7 Run through simulated car park. 8 Crawl through a small opening. 9 Leap over 1.5 metre ditch. 10 Climb over two 1 metre hurdles. 11 Climb through a window. 12 Run 120 metres. 13 Remove a car wheel from the boot of a police vehicle and place it on the ground in front of the vehicle. Lift the wheel and carry back to the rear of the vehicle and place the wheel inside the boot. (Time Limit: 3 minutes)
be an integral part of making your state a safer place to live Advice Notes for Applicants Suitable applicants are recruited for training as general duties Constables. There is no direct recruitment into specialised sections. If you: have sufficiently researched this position meet the pre-entry requirements are prepared for the testing and assessment process agree to serve, on graduation, in any section at any location throughout the state then we ask that you complete the application documentation and submit it to the Recruiting Section. Answer all sections and remember that you have a legal obligation to provide accurate answers. Failure to provide the required documentation and information may result in your application being rejected or returned. To assist in assessing your application, your personal details (name, any previous names, date of birth and current address) will be published for confidential comment by serving SAPOL employees. SAPOL has a policy in relation to dress standards that includes piercings, tattoos and body art. Please contact Recruiting Section for further information. The recruiting process may take some time. You will be contacted throughout the process regarding tests and assessments. Application Checklist Application Form Passport size colour photo of yourself Statement of Personal Health and Circumstances with a GP letter Medical Release Form Driving Ability Form Year 12 results and Student Achievement Record Résumé Birth/Citizenship Certificate Driver s Licence Current Basic or Essential First Aid Certificate Other information that could enhance your application Disclaimer: South Australia Police Recruiting Section has taken reasonable care in ensuring that the information contained in this brochure is correct and up to date. However, South Australia Police does not warrant that the brochure is complete, accurate or up to date. The information is maintained by South Australia Police Recruiting Section and changes can occur without notice. Before relying on any information contained in the brochure users should contact South Australia Police Recruiting Section on (08) 7322 3353.
Do you already have what it takes? See yourself in the uniform and Quick Thinker Compassionate Sociable Multi-Tasker Leader