How to become an Australian Federal Police Officer
Are you good in a crisis? Does investigating crime intrigue you? Do you want the opportunity to travel with work? If so, learn how to become an Australian Federal Police Officer and make a difference.
What is an Australian Federal Police Officer?
The three main divisions of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are ACT community policing, federal agents and protective service officers (PSOs). An Australian federal police officer maintains federal law for the purpose of keeping the peace and protecting lives and property.
As an Australian federal agent you would be involved in the detection and prevention of crimes committed against Commonwealth Law. These crimes and offences may fall under the areas of terrorism, drug trafficking or fraud.
To accomplish your duties, you would need to participate in joint operations with the state and territory police as well as coordinate with other police forces and crime prevention bodies at national and international levels.
Federal police officers need to be honest, fair, patient, confident, tolerant and reliable. Because of the risky nature of the job, they need to have the ability to stay calm in difficult situations and respond quickly and take positive action. They also need to have good teamwork skills and excellent communication skills as these professionals will be working with government agencies and other crime prevention bodies.
Hours & Conditions:
Australian federal police officers usually work a standard number of hours every week and usually on a shift work basis. Their work schedule may include nights, weekends and public holidays. In some cases you may be required to be on call and provide long periods of duty especially when performing tasks like surveillance or protection.
Working conditions for this profession vary depending on what team you are part of. You could be based in an office or work at a location in need of security like an airport or embassy. You may also be assigned anywhere in Australia or its territories and be given the option of overseas deployment in places where the AFP offers assistance. 
How to become an Australian Federal Police Officer: Qualifications
If you want to become an Australian federal police officer, you would need to have completed at least your senior secondary school certificate or equivalent with English. You could improve your chances of being accepted into the AFP if you complete a degree. Entry into degree courses will require you to have a senior secondary school certificate or equivalent.
The AFP recruits graduates from different backgrounds so you don’t have to necessarily pursue legal or criminology studies. You would be required to pass aptitude, medical and psychometric tests as well as background checks, fitness tests and a selection assessment.
Once accepted, there is 24 weeks of training at the AFP College in Barton, ACT, and a further year of on-the-job training.
You need to be over 18 years old to be a Australian federal police officer and pass all the necessary medical, criminal and any other background checks. You also need to have Australian citizenship and a current and offence-free drivers’ licence.
To look at courses that will help you find a role as an Australian Federal Police, check out
https://www.careerhq.com.au/careers-database
The job outlook for Australian federal police officers is positive and projected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations. The increased need for public safety has opened more job opportunities for these officers but competition for these jobs could be high depending on location.
https://careerhq.com.au/careers-database/job_details/383/police-officer-federal
Now that you know how to become an Australian Federal Police Officer, don’t forget to check out the AFP Physical assessment requirements so you can start training for the job.