What do police do?

General Duties Officers

General duties police officers are the foundation of Tasmania Police and are essential to ensuring that the Tasmanian community functions safely.  General duties officers are the first on the scene at any reported incident and provide a service to the community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  As a general duties officer your duties will change every day.

As a general duties officer you will come into contact with people from all walks of life and some of the people you deal with will display values and behaviours that contradict your own.  You are required to always remain impartial and do your best to assist people in resolving the issue at hand.

Duties

• Prevent anti-social behaviour;
• Deal with community safety concerns;
• Resolve disputes;
• Attend critical incidents and emergencies;
• Attend traffic crashes (including fatal crashes);
• Attend family disputes;
• Attend deaths;
• Investigate crime;
• Enforce traffic law;
• Deal with people suffering mental illness; and
• Deal with people affected by drugs and/or alcohol.

There are also many “soft skills” that are required of a general duties officer such as:

• Visit schools and interact with the children;
• Talk to and assist vulnerable members of the community;
• Assist victims in their time of need;
• General interaction with the community members of diverse backgrounds; and
• Build positive relationships with community groups and members.

Uniform and protective wear

General duties officers are required to:

• Wear a uniform;
• Wear a protective vest;
• Carry, and be prepared to use, a firearm; and
• Carry, and be prepared to use, capsicum spray.

Task allocation

New constables attend the same incidents as experienced officers and work a mixture of day, afternoon and night shifts.  Police officers attend any job they are tasked, regardless of gender, height, weight or experience levels and jobs are assigned to officers by our Radio Dispatch Services staff after they have been prioritised by urgency.  Low priority incidents may require a patrol only, while urgent responses may require a police vehicle’s lights and sirens to be activated to ensure the timely attendance of police resources.

You will be required to submit paperwork in relation to most incidents you attend and you will also be required to prepare paperwork for court, attend hearings and give evidence.

Other roles

While the role of a police officer is challenging, it is also rewarding. As a police officer you will make a difference to the Tasmanian community every day.

A significant number of Tasmania Police officers work as a general duties officers but there are also many specialist roles that require further training and courses.  You can apply for this training once you are confirmed as a Constable following a period of probation (usually one year).