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Other public security workers not classified elsewhere

How to become a Road Patrol Officer

Also called: Road Inspector

Patrols expressways and other roads so vehicles can travel safely and smoothly, finding traffic accidents, obstacles on the road and road surface problems and dealing with them properly.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say high school or university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

Many employers require high school graduate level education and at least two years since getting a standard car driving licence, which is needed to qualify to drive emergency vehicles. There is not much regular hiring. Instead, companies recruit through Hello Work (the public employment service), newspapers and job advertisements whenever there is a vacancy. Once hired, you work in a team of two and train on the job. At first you ride in the back seat of the patrol car, learning by experience how to patrol, how to use the radio and how to handle emergencies. When doing desk work, you learn how to write reports and other documents and the laws and rules related to the job. People usually move up from patrol officer to team leader, deputy chief and chief (titles vary by company). Road patrol work needs respect for the law and a sense of responsibility, and sound judgement and calm are important for handling emergencies.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Road Patrol Officer?

Many employers require high school graduate level education and at least two years since getting a standard car driving licence, which is needed to qualify to drive emergency vehicles. There is not much regular hiring. Instead, companies recruit through Hello Work (the public employment service), newspapers and job advertisements whenever there is a vacancy. Once hired, you work in a team of two and train on the job. At first you ride in the back seat of the patrol car, learning by experience how to patrol, how to use the radio and how to handle emergencies. When doing desk work, you learn how to write reports and other documents and the laws and rules related to the job. People usually move up from patrol officer to team leader, deputy chief and chief (titles vary by company). Road patrol work needs respect for the law and a sense of responsibility, and sound judgement and calm are important for handling emergencies.

Do you need a degree to become a Road Patrol Officer?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 23% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Road Patrol Officer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026