How to become a police officer

Official title: Police officer

Also called: Air marshall, Gurkha police officer, Marine police officer, Marine policeman, Marine policewoman, Police coast guard, Police constable, Police patrol officer, Police patrolman, Police patrolwoman, Police sergeant, Policeman

Police officer performs surveillance and patrol activities to prevent crimes. He/she uses investigation methods to pursue and apprehend criminals while protecting the public from violent and criminal activities.

Main tasks

• Patrolling a specific area to maintain public order, respond to emergencies, protect people and property and enforce laws and regulations
• Identifying, pursuing and arresting suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts
• Directing traffic and assuming authority in the event of accidents
• Providing emergency assistance to victims of accidents, crimes and natural disasters

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

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

Related jobs

• Narcotics officer
• Auxiliary police officer
• Park ranger
• Industrial investigator
• Fire-fighting/Rescue officer
• Prison officer

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Questions people ask

Will AI change the work of a police officer?

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

Sources

• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026