Police Officer Career Information

One thing's for sure: As a police officer you will never be short of excitement or adventure. Each day is different. The job profile of a Police Officer is rewarding, challenging, and very unpredictable. As a police officer, you can be sitting at your desk one moment, then a bank robbery occurs and you leap into action.

A police officer's basic tasks are keeping public order and protecting lives and property. This covers investigating crimes, patrolling streets, regulating traffic, etc. As a police officer, you will also be called to help in times of natural calamity like floods, cyclone, aircraft, rail accidents, etc. Let's go into the specifics of your job profile:

Maintenance of law and order This is the core function of a police officer. You are responsible for maintaining law and order in your area. Basically as a police officer, you will keep the peace during crises such as riots, bandhs, etc.

Controlling Crime This is also one of the most important tasks of a police officer. Looking at the crime rate it seems the police force has had their hands full. As a police officer, you have to tackle the crimes in your area through law enforcement. Apart from that you have to investigate various crimes. You have to make sure that criminals never go scot-free and that they are punished.

Traffic Officers You will mainly monitor traffic movement on streets and ensure that the traffic flows smoothly. Traffic officers prevent the violation of applied regulation and enforce traffic laws.

Detective Services This is the most challenging part and perhaps the most dangerous as well. As a detective, you will investigate crimes, by visiting the scene of crime, retrieving fingerprints, photographing, speaking to witnesses, and tracing the criminal. As a detective, youwill work hand in hand with the forensic department for testing evidence.

Job Opportunity

Of course you will work in the police department of the state. You will join as a trainee and attend the police training colleges to get intensive training in police rules, criminal law, local and special acts, as well as dealing with emergencies such as riots, fires and accidents.

This will keep you busy for the first 12 months. Outdoor training includes activities such as physical training, drill, parade, riot control, cane drill, unarmed combat, obstacle course, musketry, rifle and revolver shooting, driving motor vehicles and study of elementary motor mechanisms.

After all that training you will be posted at a police station. You could start as an assistant sub-inspector and rise to the post of an inspector. In this field, promotions depend on experience and dedication to the job.

Career Prospects

Agreed, money is one of the biggest motivators. But if that's what you are looking at then you are looking at the wrong profession. But if you are one of those who finds great satisfaction out of serving the country and upholding the law, then your prospects are good.

There are many law enforcement tasks that the police leave to civilian personnel. Psychologists, chemists, biologists, photographers, and many other specialists can find employment with larger police departments. Although none of these specialties is essential to police work all the time, in some situations, expertise can be the key to cracking a case.

Since police officers can and often do retire at an early age, many former police officers find good work providing private security for corporations or individuals.