FAQs

You must be at least 17.5 to apply, and you must turn 18 before starting at the Tasmania Police Academy. 

There is no upper age limit, but there is a mandatory retirement age of 65. 

To join Tasmania Police, you must have a current Australian drivers licence (provisional licences are accepted). For more information, see Entry Requirements. 

You must be either an Australian or New Zealand Citizen or have permanent Australian resident status.  Eligible VISA subsclasses include 189 and 190.

If you left school after the year 2020 Tasmania Police educational entry requirements are that you have completed year 12 or a Certificate III.  This aligns with the Department for Education, Children and Young People’s leaving school requirements.

Those that finished school before this time are required to have completed year 10 with a pass mark (C grade) in Maths and English, or equivalent.  Tasmania Police accepts Certificate II in General Education for Adults as an alternative to year 10.

There are no other pre-requisite subjects and no Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) requirements.

Please contact Tasmania Police Recruiting if you seek further clarification on your academic eligibility.

The entire recruiting process – from the time you submit an online application to the time you may start your training (if successful), can depend on several factors. 

Once you apply you should be ready for things to move quickly, as you could be invited to progress through the recruitment process within a couple of weeks. 

Sometimes this could take longer, depending on intake dates. If you have questions about intakes and timings you should check the commencement schedule or contact Recruiting Services. 

Tasmania Police does not permit the use of AI Sources such as ChatGPT for the formulation of passages of text, such as “Why do you want to be a police officer” or in your Selection Criteria. Random checks are undertaken by Recruiting Services, and applications found to contain AI may not be accepted, or may be withdrawn from the recruitment process.

If extenuating circumstances mean you are unable to make your allocated assessment date, you may be given the opportunity to attend on a different day. This is at the discretion of Recruiting Services and only one deferral is permitted. 

Tasmania Police does not charge any fees during the application process, but applicants are required to meet the costs for their swimming certification, first aid certificate and medical testing. 

If you have specific questions that you would like to speak to our recruiting services staff about, the best starting point is an email to recruiting@police.tas.gov.au or a phone call to 1800 628 680. If a meeting is required after that we will arrange that with you. 

While at the Academy recruits are paid $54,643 per year (as at 1 December 2021). 

As part of the application process, you’ll need to complete a physical fitness assessment, which includes the beep test, a hand grip test, push ups and an agility test.  

You should prepare for the fitness test, and train accordingly. For more information see Fitness and Psychometric testing.  

Tasmania Police officers and recruits are not allowed to have visible tattoos, body art or modifications on the neck, face, scalp, ears, or hands. 

Tattoos that are culturally insensitive, rude, or offensive are not permitted at all. 

Body piercing is permitted but is not to be worn at work. 

Ear spacers are not permitted. 

If you are bankrupt, you are not eligible to apply to join Tasmania Police. You may apply if you have been discharged from your bankruptcy for more than three years. 

You do not have to have these ready for your initial application, but you will need to complete them throughout the recruitment process. Our recruitment staff will advise when this is needed. 

A BMI of 18.5 – 29.9 meets our entry requirements. 

If you have a BMI of less than 18.5 your application will be assessed by our fitness consultants and possibly your general practitioner, to determine whether you are suitable for the demands of the training. 

If you have a BMI above 29.9 you will generally not meet the entry requirements. 

Should you have an elevated BMI due to higher levels of muscle mass, your application will be assessed by our fitness consultants and possibly your general practitioner. 

As a part of the recruitment process, you will be required to undertake a hearing test. If you wear hearing aids to pass this test, you will be required to wear these whilst undertaking duties as a police officer. 

Policing requires officers to perform a broad range of law enforcement duties that will sometimes involve highly stressful situations. Because of this it’s essential that you are free of any mental illness or psychological symptoms that would prevent you from being able to perform the duties of an operational police officer. 

As a general guide, you must have been asymptomatic for at least two years prior to applying to join Tasmania Police and if we believe it is necessary, we may request a report from an independent psychiatrist. 

Yes, but there are different types of colour blindness and as many police functions require the ability to identify colour, the severity of your colour blindness will need to be assessed. 

You must be able to pass the Farnsworth D-15 test. 

COVID-19 vaccination is strongly encouraged, however you are no longer required to provide evidence of your COVID-19 vaccination status.

For further information please contact Recruiting Services on recruiting@police.tas.gov.au 

If you have any prior convictions, cautions, diversions, good behaviour bonds or excessive driving offences, you should read the Prior Offence History Guidelines before applying. 

We’re committed to recruiting people who can provide effective policing services to Tasmanians. 

We know that for us to achieve this we must be an equal opportunity employer and we recognise that modern policing requires police officers who reflect the gender, cultural, linguistic, and regional diversity of the community they serve. 

Tasmania Police officers come from all walks of life, with diverse experiences behind them and we want to make sure anyone who thinks they would make a great police officer isn’t discouraged from applying. 

All applications are considered on merit. 

The recruit training course runs for 31 weeks (28 weeks at the Tasmania Police Academy and three weeks practical training at a station). 

At the conclusion of your recruit training course, you will have completed two thirds of the Bachelor of Police Studies with the University of Tasmania. We have onsite education advisors, who will assist you whenever you need. 

You are not required to live-in whilst studying at the Police Academy but you will still be allocated a room and be required to pay the set ‘board’ fee ($197 per fortnight as at 1 July 2022 )which includes accommodation and all meals. 

No, if you are accepted into the Academy, you uniform will be supplied to you by Tasmania Police. 

It’s unlikely you would have time for a second job while undertaking your police training. 

The course involves intense physical training and academic study and is a full-time commitment. 

Any secondary employment would need to be approved by the Inspector in charge of recruit training.  

It is recommended that you defer any significant personal study until after you graduate from the academy. 

As a general rule, no you will not be able to take annual leave whilst at the Academy however leave may be granted in exceptional circumstances. 

Your prior Tasmanian Government service can be applied to your employment with Tasmania Police upon application. 

You may be posted to the south, north, or northwest of Tasmania depending on organisational needs. Generally you will be posted to one of four training stations at Hobart, Launceston, Burnie or Devonport. 

We try to accommodate the family and personal situations when determining postings, but this is not always possible. 

When you graduate and become a probationary constable your salary starts at more than $78,000 (including roster allowances). 

Tasmania Police officers are entitled to 6 weeks annual leave per year, flexible and part time working opportunities (after having worked as a probationary constable for 12 months), an accumulated leave scheme and long service leave. 

As a probationary constable you’ll work as a general duties officer at a 24-hour police station for at least a year, where you will work day, afternoon or night shifts on a rotational basis.

In the case of a major incident or natural disaster as a police officer, you may be required to perform additional duties and hours. 

It is a highly competitive process amongst members of Tasmania Police to obtain positions within specialist areas and it is generally desirous that you will spend 2-3 years undertaking general uniform duties upon graduation, before looking to specialise.

There are plenty of in-service training opportunities and courses available to make sure officers are skilled and ready to apply when specialist positions are advertised.