Police officer
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A police officer is a person who works for a police force. It usually only refers to those who have been sworn in as law enforcement officers, and does not include civilian support personnel (some of whom may be uniformed and have certain limited enforcement powers).
Work as a police officer
A police officer (also known as a constable in some countries) is employed in most cases by federal, state/provincial or municipal governments and has the responsibility (or duty) of enforcing federal, state/provincial laws along with municipal/city by-laws. They also have the responsibility of keeping the public peace. This is usually done by pro actively patrolling in their various jurisdictions looking for and investigating law breakers or responding to calls for help from the public they serve. Police officers are required to keep notes of all situations to which they are summoned and are often called as witnesses during criminal prosecutions. One of the less well-known duties of the police officer is filling out paperwork and this can often take up several hours per day. In recent years, many officers have complained that paperwork loads have increased and that it leaves them less time to actually patrol and respond to summons by members of the public.
It must be noted that the responsibilities of a police officer/constable are extremely broad and not in any way limited to the responsibilities mentioned above. Police are expected to be able to respond in some fashion to any and all situations that may arise while they are on duty. It is also believed in some communities that a police officer has a responsibility to act if needed even when they are off duty.
Qualifications required
In most countries, candidates for the police force must have completed some formal education. Increasing numbers of people are joining the police force who possess tertiary level education and in response to this many police forces have developed a "fast-track" scheme whereby those with university degrees spend 2-3 years as a police constable before receiving promotion to higher ranks, such as plain clothes detective. Although recruits to the police force are often school leavers, others decide to become police officers after a career in the military or security services. They must be physically fit.
After serving a number of years as a police officer/constable, it is possible to seek promotion to a higher rank, such as sergeant. Promotion is not automatic and usually requires the candidate to pass some kind of examination or interview board. Although promotion leads to an increase in salary, it also brings with it an increase in responsibility and for most, an increase in administrative paperwork.
After completing a certain period of service, officers may also apply for specialist positions, such as detective, police dog handler, mounted police officer, water police officer, or firearms officer (in forces which are not routinely armed).
In addition to any formal qualifications required, potential police officers should have a genuine interest in working with the public and possess an enquiring mind.
Dangers and Rewards of being a police officer
Police officers face many dangers in their jobs. Police officers are constantly being faced with the unknown and the unpredictable. They never truly know the outcome of any situation they enter into. This can make policing a dangerous profession. Dangers faced by police include - death, infectious diseases, serious and minor injuries, both physical and emotional. These dangers are encountered in many different situations i.e. apprehension/arrest and investigation of criminals, conducting vehicle stops, investigating people and crimes, protecting the public from dangerous situations or individuals, investigating traffic accidents and witnessing the carnage that often results from those accidents, responding to suicides and directing traffic.
However, many police officers do derive a genuine sense of job satisfaction from their work, especially when a long investigation has been successfully completed. On a day-to-day basis, officers can often see the results of their work in their ability to help members of the public, even with incidents of relatively minor importance.