What skills does a police officer need?

A police officer needs 15 essential skills including law enforcement, legal use-of-force, road traffic laws, first response, apply first response. Core competencies include .

Will AI replace police officer jobs?

The AI disruption score for police officer is 24/100 (low risk). Some tasks may be automated but the role will evolve rather than disappear entirely.

Security & DefenceProtective services workersISCO 5412

police officer

Police officers use investigation methods to prevent crime, to pursue and apprehend criminals, and protect the public from violent and criminal activities. They perform surveillance and patrol activities to prevent crimes and apprehend offenders. They provide support to victimised parties and the public at large, and fulfil administrative duties.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (15)

law enforcementlaw enforcementThe different organisations involved in law enforcement, as well as the laws and regulations in law enforcement procedures.legal use-of-forcelegal use-of-forceThe characteristics of the use-of-force, which is a legal doctrine employed by police and army forces, to regulate acts of violence during interventions. Use-of-force is ought to balance security need...road traffic lawsroad traffic lawsThe rule governing the circulation of vehicles, such as national traffic codes and the rules of the road.first responsefirst responseThe procedures of pre-hospital care for medical emergencies, such as first aid, resuscitation techniques, legal and ethical issues, patient assessment, trauma emergencies.apply first responseapply first responseRespond to medical or trauma emergencies and care for the patient in a manner compliant with health and safety regulations, assessing the legal and ethical issues of the situation, and provide proper ...handle case evidencehandle case evidenceHandle evidence important for a case in a manner compliant with regulations, in order to not affect the state of the evidence in question and to ensure its pristine condition and usability in the case...comply with legal regulationscomply with legal regulationsEnsure you are properly informed of the legal regulations that govern a specific activity and adhere to its rules, policies and laws.use different communication channelsuse different communication channelsMake use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.comply with the principles of self-defencecomply with the principles of self-defenceObserve the principles according to which a person should only use so much force as is required to repel an attack. The use of deadly force is limited to situations where attackers are using deadly fo...ensure compliance with types of weaponsensure compliance with types of weaponsComply with legal requirements when using different kinds of firearms and other types of weapons and their matching ammunition.identify security threatsidentify security threatsIdentify security threats during investigations, inspections, or patrols, and perform the necessary actions to minimise or neutralise the threat.instruct publicinstruct publicGive instructions to the public during situations where they behave in a manner which is not compliant with laws and regulations, or to guide them during abnormal situations.detain offendersdetain offendersKeep back offenders and trespassers in a certain area.patrol areaspatrol areasPatrol a designated area, watch out for and respond to suspicious and dangerous situations, and communicating with emergency response organisations.ensure law applicationensure law applicationEnsure the laws are followed, and where they are broken, that the correct measures are taken to ensure compliance to the law and law enforcement.

Optional (40)

railway lawrailway lawThe laws and regulations governing the activities and functioning of the railway system.diving operation requirementsdiving operation requirementsThe operational plan and the contingency plan for the diving operation, the diving equipment to be used in the diving operation, the diving signals to be used in the diving operation, the in-water dec...safe horseback riding principlessafe horseback riding principlesSafe horseback riding and training principles.physical characteristics of railwaysphysical characteristics of railwaysFamiliar with all physical aspects of the railway, including train stations, the incline and decline of the right-of-way and speed limits.illegal substancesillegal substancesThe forbidden substances which cannot be transported from one area to another, or carried by an individual, as well as their nature and how to handle them.investigation research methodsinvestigation research methodsThe methods and strategies used to conduct police, government intelligence or military investigation research, as well as the research regulations specific to the operation.assess railway operationsassess railway operationsReview and study existing railroad equipment, facilities, systems and processes in order to improve railway safety and efficiency, increase quality, and reduce costs.restrain individualsrestrain individualsRestrain, or control by force, individuals who violate regulations in terms of acceptable behaviour, who present a threat to others, and who perform acts of violence, to ensure the individual is unabl...conduct friskconduct friskConduct frisks, or pat downs, with individual to ensure there are no illegal or dangerous items concealed on their person, in a manner appropriate and compliant with regulations.perform drug investigationsperform drug investigationsPerform investigations to try and halt the distribution of drugs through illegal and criminal measures, as well as arrest the distributors of illegal drugs.analyse legal evidenceanalyse legal evidenceAnalyse evidence, such as evidence in criminal cases, legal documentation regarding a case, or other documentation that can be regarded as evidence, in order to obtain a clear image of the case and re...present evidencepresent evidencePresent evidence in a criminal or civil case to others, in a convincing and appropriate manner, in order to reach the right or most beneficial solution.investigate forgery casesinvestigate forgery casesInvestigate the illegal altering, copying or imitation of articles or goods (for example currency, public records or works of art) used for criminal purposes.anticipate foreseeable problems on the roadanticipate foreseeable problems on the roadAnticipate problems on the road such as punctures, pursuit driving, understeering or, oversteering.perform underwater investigationsperform underwater investigationsPerform investigative activities, searches, or rescue missions underwater by using diving equipment and complying with safety regulations.ensure public safety and securityensure public safety and securityImplement the relevant procedures, strategies and use the proper equipment to promote local or national security activities for the protection of data, people, institutions, and property.use personal protection equipmentuse personal protection equipmentMake use of protection equipment according to training, instruction and manuals. Inspect the equipment and use it consistently.maintain order at scenes of accidentsmaintain order at scenes of accidentsMaintain order at emergency scenes dispersing crowds and keeping family and friends from touching the patient.provide care for horsesprovide care for horsesProvide care for horses includes cleaning, housing, preparing horses and ponies for riding, fixating and leading horses, taking into account the safety regulations for horses and people and the specif...examine crime scenesexamine crime scenesExamine crime scenes upon arrival to ensure they are not tampered and perform the initial assessments and analyses of what may have occurred, as well as examining the nature of the evidence present.control crowdcontrol crowdControl a crowd or riot, ensuring people do not cross to areas they are not allowed to access, monitoring the crowd's behaviour and responding to suspicious and violent behaviour.conduct drug abuse testsconduct drug abuse testsConduct alcohol and drug tests according to government and company policies and procedures. Conducts random, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident testing using basic equipment.manage major incidentsmanage major incidentsTake immediate action to respond to major incidents that affect the safety and security of individuals in private or public places such as road accidents.educate public on road safetyeducate public on road safetyDevelop and execute educational and promotional plans to educate the public on road safety in order to raise awareness and tackle issues such as the proper attitude to adopt as a pedestrian, cyclist o...regulate trafficregulate trafficRegulate the flow of traffic by using assigned hand signals, assisting travellers on the road, and aiding people to cross the street.respond to enquiriesrespond to enquiriesRespond to enquiries and requests for information from other organisations and members of the public.analyse road traffic patternsanalyse road traffic patternsDetermine the most efficient road traffic patterns and peak times in order to increase schedule efficiency.apply knowledge of human behaviourapply knowledge of human behaviourPractice principles related to group behaviour, trends in society, and influence of societal dynamics.check official documentscheck official documentsCheck an individuals' official documentation, such as driver's licenses and identification, to ensure compliance with legal regulations, and to identify and assess individuals.hear witness accountshear witness accountsHear witness accounts during a court hearing or during an investigation to assess the significance of the account, its impact on the case under scrutiny or investigation, and to aid in reaching a conc...train animals for professional purposestrain animals for professional purposesTrain animals for specific activities in order to help humans carry out their professional tasks.maintain diving equipmentmaintain diving equipmentPerform maintenance actions, including small repairs, on diving equipment.write situation reportswrite situation reportsWrite reports according to specifications and regulations of an organisation on the situation which needs to be reported on, such as the status of an investigation, of intelligence gathering, or of mi...check diving equipmentcheck diving equipmentCheck diving equipment for valid certification to ensure its suitability. Ensure that any diving equipment is examined by a competent person before use, at least once on each day on which it is to be ...execute working instructionsexecute working instructionsUnderstand, interpret and properly apply work instructions regarding different tasks in the workplace.issue finesissue finesRecognise a violation in legislation, and issue the appropriate fine to the offender compliant with regulations and ensuring the person is aware of the specific violation they performed.investigate road accidentsinvestigate road accidentsInvestigate road vehicle accidents and conduct post-accident debriefing conferences. Analyse the exact circumstances of the accident and present conclusions to the authorities. Provide recommendations...manage theft preventionmanage theft preventionApply theft and robbery prevention; monitor security surveillance equipment; enforce security procedures if needed.ride horsesride horsesRide horses, and pay attention to ensuring the safety of the horse and rider, and applying proper horseback riding techniques.practice vigilancepractice vigilancePractice vigilance during patrol or other surveillance activities in order to ensure safety and security, to look out for suspicious behaviour or other alarming changes in patterns or activities, and ...